Feelings Revealed
by Rhonda1
Summary: *Conclusion updated*...When Sydney spots Vaughn with Anna Espinosa, she demands to know why...
1. Misunderstanding

**Disclaimer**: Most of the characters mentioned in this story belong to J.J. Abrams. Minor appearances made by some of my own creation.

**Distribution**: Just ask me first and tell me where so I can visit.

**Feedback**: Yes, please, it really makes my day.

**Spoilers**: None, really, since the season's over, but I guess you could say this takes place some time before the Season Finale. Vaughn is not waterlogged somewhere in Taipei and Weiss is still the lovable, supportive friend he's supposed to be.

**Summary**: Sydney sees Vaughn with Anna Espinosa and demands to know why.

**Author's Note**: Hello again! I know it's been awhile since my last fic, but I've been waiting for the time when the site would be up and running again full-time. Hope you enjoy!

*     *     *     *

"Sydney, I'm telling you you should have bought that red dress!" Francie scolded her as the two of them left the clothing shop. The two best friends were out shopping, the one bit of normalcy Sydney had experienced in recent weeks.

"Like I would have anywhere to wear a clingy red sequined gown!" Sydney chimed back at her with a laugh. "Maybe I could wear it the next time Will takes us to El Grande Taco for dinner!"

Francie giggled. "Well, it would fit in perfectly with the sombrero hats and the _papier- maché_ burro."

"Hey, do you want to go grab some lunch now or hit one more shop?" Sydney asked, looking down the street at the little sidewalk café she'd always wanted to try. She gathered the restaurant was French from the name, Café du Monde, and it looked so quaint with the open-air dining area, the white umbrella-topped tables and the yellow Provençal table linens.

As they neared the restaurant, Sydney caught sight of one of its patrons, who was sitting at a table for two in the outdoor courtyard. Her mouth dropped open as she recognized her handler, smiling and laughing as he took a drink from his glass of wine. The first thought that popped into her head was: _Why was Vaughn drinking in the middle of a workday_?

She was so flabbergasted by this that she failed to notice his dining companion right away. Then she saw the long mane of hair gathered into a sleek ponytail and the shapely legs not quite hidden under the table. _He was with a woman_. An irrational burst of jealousy bubbled deep within her. She pointedly ignored it and instead was overcome by an overwhelming need to find out exactly who this woman was.

"Syd, why are you stopping in the middle of the sidewalk?" Francie's voice brought her back to reality.

Sydney glanced at Francie, who was giving her an odd look. She needed time to scope out this situation. "Francie, I just remembered I need to make a phone call to my boss about a deal I'm working on. Go on into the shop and I'll be with you in a minute."

Okay." Francie shrugged and walked into the shop by herself.

Sydney turned back to the matter at hand. She squinted at the couple before her. The woman had her back to her, but there was something about her that was familiar. The long dark hair, the slender neck, the cocoa skin…all of a sudden, the woman threw back her head and laughed, a rich, throaty sound that made Sydney's eyes widen in shock.

_What the hell was Vaughn doing with Anna Espinosa_? _Talking and laughing like he was having a grand old time_? _Had he gone completely insane_?

This couldn't be happening. Vaughn would not be _having lunch _with Anna Espinosa of K-Directorate of his own free will. There had to be a reason for this. And she would find out what it was before she spontaneously combusted.

Sydney ducked into a phone booth. Dialing the number she knew by heart, she punched in Vaughn's pager number and sent him an emergency page that she was only supposed to use in the direst of circumstances. It had always struck her as an odd bunch of nonsense that such a thing even existed between them because if she had been in an At-Death's-Door situation, what good would it do to page him? But Vaughn had insisted, anyway, and being the good little agent she was, she let him have his way. Sydney let out a self-satisfied cackle. Little did he know his Boy Scout "Always be prepared" compulsion would prove to be the perfect solution to getting him away from Anna's clutches.

Sydney watched as Vaughn felt for his pager. His eyes flickered briefly when he saw the Emergency Code, but he covered it within a split second. If she had blinked, she would have missed the flash of concern that disappeared as quickly as it came. As it was, Anna didn't even notice that anything was amiss.

"I'm sorry, it's the office." Vaughn looked apologetic. "And apparently, it's an emergency because they want me to get back there on the double."

"What a pity we have to cut short our luncheon." Anna sounded regretful.

"Will you let me make it up to you by letting me take you to dinner tonight?"

Anna smiled serenely. "That would be most enjoyable."

"I'll come by your hotel at 7:30?"

"I'll be waiting."

Sydney was watching Vaughn take his leave and was miffed that he appeared to be dawdling. _I could be on my deathbed for all he cared_! She thought indignantly. _What good was an Emergency Page if he wasn't going to hop to it the moment I called_?

When Sydney saw Vaughn finally tear himself away from Anna, she headed into the shop to tell Francie she had to split.

*     *     *     *

Sydney drove like a madwoman in order to beat Vaughn to the warehouse while still being cautious enough to be on the lookout for an SD-6 tail. When she was satisfied she was not being followed, she headed to the warehouse and arrived just minutes before he did. As it was, she had just managed to plop herself down into a chair when she heard the door open and hurried footsteps along the concrete floor.

"Sydney?" Vaughn arrived at the chain-link fencing, his green eyes full of worry and concern. She felt a stab of guilt for being so deceitful in how she had lured him there, but a small part of her was also thrilled that he appeared so distraught that something might have happened to her. It was like an admission of his feelings for her, that he cared and feared for her safety and well-being. "Are you all right?" He wrenched open the gate with a mighty force and rushed over to her. 

"I'm fine." Sydney replied calmly. _Was that a new tie_? She thought to herself. _For Anna_?

Vaughn frowned. "Then what's the deal with the Emergency Page?"

"I'm sorry. That was a mistake." She remembered to look contrite.

He shot her a skeptical look. "You expect me to believe it was an _accident_ that you sent me our 'Matter-of-life-or-death' code?"

"I must have pushed the wrong numbers." Sydney gave him a helpless "Don't be mad at little ole me" shrug. "I didn't interrupt anything important, did I?" She was the picture of wide-eyed innocence.

"Well, I wouldn't say that." He mumbled.

"Oh, I just realized it was probably your lunch hour." Sydney acted out in an exaggerated manner, stopping just short of slapping her hand to her forehead. "Did I catch you in the middle of a meal?"

Vaughn gave her a penetrating look. He knew her well enough to know when she was behaving strangely. He also knew it was probably no finger slip-up that she had summoned him here with their Emergency Page, knowing he'd break every traffic law to get to her. The question was: _Why_?

"Why do you care?" He asked blandly.

"Oh, I'm always on the lookout for a good restaurant." Sydney said pleasantly. "So how is the food at the Café du Monde?" Her voice grew razor-sharp as her smile faded.

Vaughn went pale. "The Café du Monde?" He echoed.

"I saw you." Her eyes were shooting daggers at him. "I saw you with _her_."

"Maybe it was someone who looked just like me." Vaughn suggested, feigning innocence.

"Well, then I saw someone who looked just like you dining with someone who looked just like Anna Espinosa." Sydney said scathingly. "You did know your lunch date was Anna Espinosa, didn't you?"

"I believe I know what your archnemesis looks like, Sydney." Vaughn retorted.

"Don't make fun of me." She said warningly. "You and I don't exist in the pages of some comic book."

"Sorry, I get confused." He said dryly. "Sometimes our real life feels as if it should be between the pages of a comic book."

Sydney threw him a frustrated glare. "Can we please get back to the reason why you were with Anna?" 

"I'm sorry, Sydney, but I don't see how that's any of your business." Vaughn replied in an annoying unruffled manner.

She gaped at him. "Are you saying you're not going to tell me?" she said incredulously.

"I just don't understand why you need to know." He said evasively.

"Were you…with her in order to extract information from her?" Sydney stumbled over what to call whatever Vaughn was doing with Anna. "I hope you'll reconsider because I think you're in way over your head."

It was Vaughn's turn to stare at her. "Sydney, do you realize how condescending that sounds? I'm not some wet-behind-the-ears rookie." He sounded angry with her and she didn't like it.

 "I was merely offering my advice as a concerned third party." Sydney said, unaware she was pouting.

"Well, your concern is duly noted and your advice is being respectfully ignored." Vaughn said coolly. "Syd, don't assume you know anything about what's going on. Because what you think you know couldn't be further from the truth."

"How do I know what the truth is if you won't tell me?" She countered.

"There are no covert spy operations involving Ms. Espinosa." Vaughn looked her straight in the eye. "What you saw when you saw me with her at the café was what it looked like."

She stared at him. "You were on a date?" She couldn't have been more stunned if he'd said the moon was made of green cheese.

"I'll kindly thank you not to look as if the concept completely boggles your mind." He sounded pissed. "I'm not exactly the Elephant Man, am I?"  
  


"Far from it." Sydney murmured before she even realized what she was saying. An embarrassed look appeared on her face as she wondered if he had heard her.

"Vaughn, you can't handle her!" She blurted out, a tactic she used in order to distract him from her previous comment. It was not an indication of how she truly felt. "I know what she's capable of and you don't and I don't want to have to worry about you getting hurt!" She hadn't meant that the way it sounded. Like he was a total incompetent who couldn't be trusted to take care of himself.

"I don't recall asking you to be my babysitter, Sydney." Vaughn's voice turned frigid and she could feel herself growing cold.

Sydney was taken aback by the venom in Vaughn's voice. "Vaughn, I didn't mean--" 

"You have implied more than once during this conversation that I am not savvy enough to handle myself against Anna Espinosa." His eyes narrowed at her.

"It's not a put-down." She tried to get him to understand what she was trying to say. "I'm just saying that you don't have the experience of handling someone like Anna." She finished lamely.

 "I may not have your superior fighting skills, but I am perfectly capable of holding my own, Sydney." He cut her off brusquely. "So if this is all you wanted to see me about, I'd say this meeting is terminated." He stalked off, leaving her alone.

As Vaughn reached the exit of the warehouse, he had to physically restrain himself from going back to her. Picking that fight with Sydney was one of the hardest things he ever had to do. The look of shock and dismay and hurt on her face when he lashed out at her made his heart ache, but there was nothing he could do. It was better that she think he was angry at her for butting her nose into his private life than for her to know the real reason he was spending time with Anna.

_To be continued_…

P.S. If you think I should continue, please review! Thanks!


	2. Setting the Trap

It had all started as a fluke. His cousin, Hanna, worked at the Cultural Arts Museum downtown and he had been dropping her off because her car had broken down. Vaughn had spotted the exotic-looking Anna walking up the steps to the museum and an alarm went off in his head. They hadn't received any intel that she was even in the country, much less Los Angeles. If she was here, something was going down and the CIA needed to know why.

So he followed her. As she wandered from room to room, Vaughn took the time to study her. She was a striking-looking woman, with her long straight dark hair pulled into a sleek ponytail and held in place at the nape of her neck with a simple tortoiseshell hair ornament. Her makeup was minimal and understated, playing up neither her big brown eyes nor her full sensuous lips. Her red turtleneck and black slacks were classic without drawing attention to herself. 

When Anna paused to peruse a poster regarding an upcoming exhibit, he knew this was the real reason why she was here. It certainly wasn't because she was interested in the cooking implements of the ancient Incas. Vaughn waited until she moved on and then he checked out the poster for himself.

It appeared that the museum was having a jewelry exhibition in a few days. Some of the pieces being shown had been fashioned by a man with the name of Milo Rambaldi. No doubt Anna was here to relieve the museum of one of those items.

Vaughn was in a quandary as to what to do next. If they could find out which piece Anna was after, the CIA techs could come up with a reasonable facsimile. Sydney would probably become involved, especially when SD-6 found out Anna was in town, if they didn't already know. If Sydney could somehow obtain the real item while handing off the fakes to Anna and Sloane…but first someone would have to infiltrate Anna's defenses.

Vaughn looked around to make sure no one was paying any attention to him and then placed a call on his cell phone to Headquarters.

"Weiss."

"It's me." Vaughn spoke in a low tone, deliberately not mentioning any names.

"Hello, Me." Weiss drawled. "Shouldn't you be in the office by now? You know Haladki is just itching to get something on you even if it is something lame like excessive tardiness."

"I have a very good reason why I'm not there yet." Vaughn replied. "It concerns Anna Espinosa."

"From K-Directorate?" Weiss was instantly alert. "Where are you?"

"At the Cultural Arts Museum downtown. I was dropping my cousin off at work and I saw Anna going into the museum."

"No one even knew she was in town." Weiss informed him.

"I know." Vaughn said. "That's why I followed her into the museum."

"Have you made contact with her?"

"No, but I think I know why she's here." He told Weiss about the jewelry exhibition. 

"We need to find out which piece she's after."

"I know that, but how do you propose we go about it?"

"Let me go tell Devlin what's up." Weiss suggested. "I'll call you right back, but in the meantime, don't lose sight of Anna." He clicked off.

With phone in hand, Vaughn took off after Anna again. He made sure to stay at least one room away from her at all times, but still kept her within his range of sight.

Weiss called back ten minutes later. Vaughn answered immediately. "What's the plan?"

"Devlin says to go introduce yourself. We're in the process of putting an alias together, but he said to go for it since it's not as if she's going to be able to do a background check on you right away." He could hear Weiss shuffling some papers. "Your name is Russell Phillips."

"Russell?" Vaughn repeated, a bit disappointed with the moniker for his new persona. "Russell" wasn't one of his favorite names. It sounded a bit too bland. Why couldn't he have a cool spy name like Reese or Spencer or Pierce?

"Hey, the name works for Mr. Crowe, doesn't it?" Weiss quipped. "Your occupation is a stockbroker. What do you know about stocks?"

"Uh, beyond the fact that you buy and sell them?" Vaughn could picture Weiss rolling his eyes at him. Next would come…

Weiss sighed right on cue. "Well, you'll just have to do some cramming. Devlin wants you to set up an assignation between you and Anna."

"You mean a date."

"Well, if you want to get all technical on me, yeah." Weiss deadpanned. "So get in there and turn on the famous 'Balls of Steel' charm."

"Now that's a pleasant picture." Vaughn kidded him. "I'll talk to you later."

_Now what_? He thought to himself. This wasn't his forté. He wasn't used to being in the middle of the action; he was more an on-the-sidelines kind of guy. What kind of cover story could he come up with that wouldn't arouse Anna's suspicions?

_Keep it simple_. That was always the best line of attack. An idea hit him like a ton of bricks and he shook his head sheepishly. The most obvious approach was to pretend he was hitting on her. He only hoped he still remembered what to do. His first encounter with Alice had been such a long time ago and since then…well, Sydney didn't count, did she?

Anna was inspecting a glass case full of precious and semi-precious gemstones. Vaughn gave a silent prayer and then slowly sidled up next to her.

"Excuse me, would you mind telling me what that stone is?" He pointed to a pendant with a blue-green stone. "I don't have my glasses with me." He gave her what he hoped was a helpless-man look

Anna gave him a sideways glance. "It's a tourmaline." She replied in her slightly accented English.

Vaughn nodded. "My mother was here earlier in the week and she fell in love with that piece. Now she's insisting that I get her something with a tourmaline for her birthday."

"Lucky woman." Anna commented.

"She's actually a bit of an eccentric, but she is my mother and I love her." Vaughn smiled. Anna looked back at him with a noncommittal expression on her face. "I hope you don't mind my asking, but I heard your accent. Where are you from?"

"I was born in Cuba."

"And you live there now?"

"No." She shook her head. "I work for a museum in Brazil. My home is there."

"Oh, you work for a museum." Vaughn nodded contemplatively. "Is that why you're here?"  
  


"I am interested in an exhibition that will be opening here in a few days." Anna informed him. "I wanted to see if it would be something I should book for my museum in Brazil."

"So you'll be in town for a few days." He mused.

"Why should that interest you?" She raised a perfectly arched eyebrow.

"Because I would like to see you again." Vaughn said boldly. He normally wasn't this forward. Maybe it was "Russell's" influence.

Anna felt a modicum of pleasure. She normally did not like American men, but this man was quite attractive. There was something about the way he smiled at her.

"Do you have a job?" She asked bluntly.

Vaughn's face showed a look of surprise. "Yes. I work as a stockbroker for a local firm here in town."

"So you don't normally frequent museums in the middle of a workday?"

"No, I don't." It finally dawned on him why she had asked such an odd question. "Please don't get the wrong impression about me."

Anna raised an eyebrow again. "And why should I care if I have the _right_ impression about you?"

"Because I think it would greatly help my cause if you know I really can pay for the lunch we're going to have tomorrow." Vaughn smiled at her again and he could have sworn Anna's face softened at the corners of her mouth.

Anna's skeptical look turned to one of amusement. "You are too overly confident." She observed, a bit coy.

"No, I think I'm just the right amount of confident." He said smoothly. "My name is Russell Phillips." He held out his hand.

"Mariana Ortega." Anna slipped her hand into his. "I am staying at the Mondrian on Sunset. You may call for me tomorrow at 12:15."

"I look forward to it." Vaughn gave her an engaging smile.

Anna rewarded him with a parting smile of her own and then moved on. Only when she was out of his sight did he realize he had been holding his breath. He slowly let it out.

Vaughn wondered if Anna had really fallen for his somewhat clumsy flirting or if she was just playing him. Either way, it didn't really matter as long as he got what he wanted, but it would make him feel a little bit better about his spy skills. 

Vaughn left the museum and headed straight for Headquarters. A message was waiting for him that Devlin wanted to see him as soon as he arrived.

"Hey, you're here." Weiss stood in the doorway of his office. He was holding a manila folder in his hand.

"Yeah, I just got in."

"Well, then I can give this to you. It's the dossier we've compiled on Russell Phillips." Weiss handed the folder to his partner. Vaughn glanced inside. A plastic bag held a new driver's license, credit cards, a gym club membership card complete with photo. There was also a detailed bio he would have to memorize with such facts as to where "Russell" was born, what his parents did for a living and where he went to college. The powers that be certainly hadn't wasted any time in compiling his new identity.

"Did you get the message from Devlin?"

Vaughn nodded. "I was just headed to his office now."

"Me too. Let's go."

Devlin was in his office, signing off on some paperwork. He looked up when Vaughn and Weiss appeared.

"Come in and close the door." He ordered in a matter-of-fact voice. "Vaughn, I want you to tell me everything that happened this morning."

Vaughn went through the story again of how he had seen Anna going into the museum. "So after I called here and received my orders, I made contact with Ms. Espinosa and we have a lunch date for tomorrow."

"What'd I tell you? Balls of steel." Weiss muttered under his breath, too low for Devlin to hear. Vaughn shot him a look.

"Good, good." Devlin nodded approvingly. "Our objective is to find out what Espinosa wants at that museum by any means possible, Agent Vaughn."

Vaughn looked slightly startled. "Any means, Sir?"

"Yes." Devlin affirmed. "Most likely it will require a search of her hotel room."

"You want me to get into her hotel room." Vaughn murmured to himself, somewhat perturbed. There were only a couple of reasons why a woman would invite a man she hardly knew to her hotel room and he knew what he would have to do in order to elicit such an invitation. The thought of faux-romancing Anna Espinosa was a little off-putting, but oddly enough, it wasn't because he was nervous about what she would do to him if she found out who he really was.

No, he was more disturbed of what Sydney would think when she heard what he was up to. He didn't think she would be happy to learn that he would have to wine and dine and charm one of her worst enemies. His head hoped she would understand he was just doing his job, but his heart wanted to believe she would be just the tiniest bit jealous that he was going to be spending time in the company of a beautiful woman she happened to dislike immensely.

"Sir, what about Agent Bristow?" Vaughn blurted out. Weiss gave him a disapproving glance, which he ignored.

"Jack?" Devlin frowned in confusion.

"No, sir, Sydney." He corrected. "Shouldn't she be involved in this?"

Devlin gave him a blank look. "I fail to see your point, Vaughn."

"Well, Sydney is very familiar with Anna." Vaughn stated. "If we want whatever Anna's after, Sydney's the one who will get it for us."

Devlin wasn't overly impressed with his reasoning. "Once SD-6 finds out about Espinosa being in town, they'll send Bristow in, don't worry about that." He said dismissively. "We'll get to her counter once we find out what they want her to do."

"Well, sir, I would like to tell her what I'm doing." Vaughn said in a respectful voice.

"No, Agent Vaughn, absolutely not." Devlin shook his head decisively.

"Why not?"

"Your mission does not concern her."

"But, sir, when Sydney sees me with her, she'll think--" He stopped in mid-sentence as alarm bells went off in his brain, telling him not to say anything more

"She'll think what?" Devlin interrupted.

_She'll think I'm with Anna because I want to be_, he thought grimly. If Sydney didn't know what he was doing, she might misconstrue everything.

"She won't understand why I'm with Anna." He said feebly.

"And she doesn't need to, Vaughn. If we play this right, she won't see you until the exhibition opening, anyway." Devlin pointed out. "As of now, you'll be temporarily replaced as Bristow's handler. Weiss will fill in for you."

Vaughn cut a glance at Weiss, who shrugged, and then looked back at Devlin. "Replaced? Why?"

"We don't need either of your covers blown should Anna decide you need tailing." 

"We would be careful." Vaughn said stubbornly, barely managing to keep the impertinence out of his voice. He could feel Weiss giving him that look again, but he ignored it once again.  
  
"I don't want to take that risk, Agent Vaughn." Devlin said firmly, his tone suggesting that there was no room for discussion on this point. 

Vaughn's shoulders slumped in reluctant defeat. "Can I at least tell her I'm being temporarily taken off her case?"

"No, because then you would have to tell her why and we don't want that now, do we?" Devlin said in an overly patient voice, tired of the fact that his subordinate was constantly challenging his authority. "Don't make me regret putting you back into field duty, Vaughn."

"Sir, with all due respect, it's not as if I asked for this." He protested. "It fell into my lap--"

"I realize that, Agent Vaughn, which is why I'm cutting you some slack." Devlin cut him off. "Now go study the dossier we've put together on your alias, Russell Phillips. If Ms. Espinosa is as good as she's reputed to be, she'll have researched your background, so you better know your stuff."

"Yes, sir." Vaughn said resignedly.

"Weiss will fill you in on the details of where you'll be staying while you're undercover." Devlin told him. "We've decided to put you in a safehouse, so that Ms. Espinosa won't discover where you really live."

"Fine, fine." Vaughn stood up and left the office, Weiss on his heels. "Did you know about this?" He asked Weiss as they rounded the corner.

"About the reassignment, yeah." His friend admitted. "It's for your own safety, you know."

"I know."

"Look, Devlin was right. There's no reason for Sydney to know and besides, it might do more harm than good." Weiss said rationally.

"Explain to me how it would be bad for her to know?" Vaughn raised an eyebrow.

"Well, if she knew what you were doing, I think she would try to interfere."

"Sydney is not a rogue operative, Weiss." Vaughn said, feeling a bit defensive of his agent. "She would follow protocol."

"Really?" Weiss challenged him. "If she were to find out what you were up to with Anna Espinosa, I think she would fear for your life."

"And you say that as if it's a bad thing." Vaughn said, a bit sarcastically.

"What I mean is that she might try to insert herself into the situation in order to keep you from getting hurt and that might royally screw things up." Weiss said pointedly.

In spite of the fact that Sydney's interference might cause him problems, Vaughn was feeling a bit torn. "Do you really think she'd put herself in jeopardy over me?" He asked Weiss, completely oblivious to the hopeful tone in his voice.

"After everything you've done for her, don't you think she'd extend the same courtesy to you?" Weiss raised an eyebrow.

"I honestly don't know." Vaughn said truthfully and a bit sadly.

Weiss' face softened. "Mike, I know Sydney's not exactly the open book you are, but she does care about you. She trusts you with her life and I think she would expect you to do the same with her." Weiss gave him a look. "That is why you _can't_ tell her what you're doing."

Vaughn gave him a grudging look. "Okay, I see what you're saying and I'm not going to tell her." He promised, looking put-out. "Even though I would kind of like to know how she'd react if she thought I was dating Anna Espinosa." Vaughn gave him a faintly evil grin.

Weiss rolled his eyes at him. "Yeah, I know you would want her to turn green with jealousy." He gave Vaughn a shake of his head.

"Well, maybe not green." Vaughn said thoughtfully.

"Puce, maybe?" Weiss supplied helpfully, as they started down the hall together.

"Puce?" Vaughn frowned. "Is that a color?"

"I think it's in the green family."

With a sigh and a heavy heart, Vaughn closed the warehouse door firmly behind him and left the premises.

_To be continued_…

**Author's Note**: Thanks to all who reviewed and please keep them coming!

   


	3. Soul Searching

Sydney was at her desk at Credit Dauphine the next morning, but instead of going over the op tech of her latest mission, she was brooding over Vaughn. She didn't like the way they had left things at the warehouse and she had tried contacting him afterwards to no avail. It appeared he was doing his damnedest to avoid her, much to her dismay.

She kept seeing the picture of Vaughn and Anna in her mind. It rankled her how bothered she was by the thought of the two of them spending time together and it was even more disturbing for her to figure out why. Knowing Anna the way she did, she was, of course, concerned for Vaughn's safety, but the bigger issue here was the strong feelings of envy and jealousy such a coupling brought forth in her.

When had it happened? How had he been transformed from handler to lust object? She admitted to feeling the pull of his magnetism. He was, after all, an extremely handsome man. She admitted to the clammy hands and the butterflies in her stomach when she asked him out to the Kings game, even though she knew he'd turn her down. She admitted to the fluttering of her heart and the blush in her cheeks when he shyly told her she looked pretty. She admitted to the heart-wrenching conflict she felt when she realized he knew what had happened between her and Noah at the safehouse in Archangelsk. 

Whatever they had between them had been building for months, she realized. It hadn't happened overnight or because of one life-altering event. It had been a gradual process, sort of like putting a pot of water on the stove to boil. Once you turned the heat on, it was only a matter of time before things would get hot.

And the fact was that he had become an integral part of her life. Vaughn had always been there for her in a professional capacity, but it had finally dawned on her that he was so much more than just her colleague. He was her confidante, her lifeline, her anchor and maybe quite possibly, her destiny?

It scared her to think of him in that way. So many people she had loved had been lost to her forever. If she gave in to her feelings for Vaughn, would he end up as just another dead body on the stockpile she was unfortunately accumulating?

"Sydney?" Marshall's concerned voice brought her out of her musings. "Are you coming to the briefing?"

"Oh, right." She gave him a sweet smile. "I'll be right there."

When Sydney arrived in the conference room, the usual gang of suspects was present. Sloane was at the head of the table as usual. Marshall and her father were sitting across from her. Sydney noticed the frown on her father's face as he caught sight of her glum expression and purposely avoided his gaze.

"We have received intel that Anna Espinosa is here in Los Angeles." Sloane began. "We believe she is here for a jewelry exhibition at the Cultural Arts Museum downtown. Several Rambaldi pieces will be shown and we think she is after one of them."

"What is the piece and what is its significance?" Jack inquired.

"Rambaldi designed several pieces of jewelry, some of which were said to be inscribed with a series of codes, which would be useful in helping us gain information regarding Rambaldi's mystery invention. The jewelry was later given as gifts to his sister in the hopes that she would safeguard this information from getting into the wrong hands. Over the years, the pieces have changed hands until they landed in the private collection of an Italian shipping tycoon." Sloane explained. "Since they have never been seen before by the viewing public, no one has been able to determine whether or not the codes actually exist or if they will be of any help in learning more about the invention."

"How many pieces are in the exhibition?" Sydney asked.

"Three." Sloane replied. "Marshall has already provided us with reasonable facsimiles of each piece, but we don't know which one Anna is after."

Sloane clicked a button and Sydney stifled a gasp as a photograph of Vaughn and Anna appeared on her monitor. They were sitting outside at a table, obviously taken yesterday when they were at lunch. Sydney looked over the top of her monitor at her father, who gazed back at her with a perfect poker face. She looked away, cursing herself for not being more in control of her emotions.

"The man with Anna is named Russell Phillips. We have learned that he is a stockbroker at a local firm here in L.A." Sloane went on.

Sydney kept her face studiously bland as she digested this information. Vaughn was using an alias with Anna? Were his dealings with her CIA-related, after all? "Is he involved in the operation?" She spoke up.

"No, we don't believe so. His background does not indicate anything we should be suspicious of, so we think Anna is only using him as a cover."

"So he's just an innocent civilian?" She pressed on. "If we get involved, he's not in any danger?" Sydney ignored the piercing look from her father.

"Well, Ms. Espinosa is a dangerous woman, Sydney. If the man chooses to become involved with her…" Sloane shrugged as if to say, "What can we do?" She wanted to glare him at for his cavalier attitude concerning Vaughn's well-being, but knew it was out of the question.

"Sydney, your mission will be to tail Anna while she is at the exhibition. She will no doubt have the piece she is planning to switch somewhere on her person." Sloane focused his beady gaze on her. "Let Anna do whatever she has set up to do in order to get the brooch. Once she has the piece, you can go after her. If you can maneuver it, switch the real piece with our fake, but if not, just make sure she doesn't leave with the real deal." Sloane handed out the specs of the mission to everyone at the table.

"Oh, one other thing, Sydney." Sloane continued. "Since Dixon is on vacation this week, you will be going to the exhibition with your father. Once you're inside, you will proceed to make everyone believe you are consuming large quantities of champagne."

"And what is that supposed to accomplish?" She inquired.

"It will be purely as a means of distraction." Sloane replied. "If Anna thinks you're intoxicated, she won't believe you're after her. She'll think you're just there to have a good time."

"We will have several people posing as waiters working the party. They will be wearing pink carnations. Make sure you get your drinks only from them." Sloane stood up to adjourn the meeting and left the room. Marshall followed suit, but Sydney waylaid her father.

"Dad, can we talk a minute?" She gave him a meaningful look, which he instantly deciphered. Jack reached into his pocket and turned on his signal scrambler.

"Actually, you have two minutes." He informed her.

"Dad, I need to know what is going on with Vaughn." She said urgently.

Jack's face took on a guarded look. "Has he told you anything?"

Sydney looked petulant. "No, damn it, and it makes me mad."

Jack could see without question that it was right for the agency to keep Sydney in the dark regarding Vaughn's mission. He had been aware of Vaughn's growing emotional attachment to his daughter and was most decidedly against it, but he hadn't realized that Sydney might feel the same way.

"Why are you so upset?" He asked in a placid voice.

"Because he doesn't know who he's dealing with." Sydney said darkly.

"Sydney, I realize that you have had past encounters with Anna and you know how she operates, but how would your knowing what Vaughn is doing be of any use to anyone?"

"If he is working undercover, I could help him."

"It's admirable of you to want to come to the aid of a colleague." Jack said pointedly, his words full of subtext. He was well aware of his daughter's unhealthy concern for Vaughn's safety and it worried him. "Very selfless."

Sydney gave her father a flint-edged look, not wanting to betray her hand. "He's no good to me if he gets hurt." _Or worse_.

"Well, I wouldn't worry too much about Agent Vaughn, Sydney." Jack replied in an offhanded manner. "He's a big boy and he doesn't need you to be there to pick up the pieces if his heart gets broken."

Sydney's mouth dropped open. "That can't be what is going on here." She said stubbornly. "Why is he using another name? You can't be telling me that Vaughn's sole reason for being with Anna is that he's _dating_ her?"

The signal scrambler beeped and they had to end their conversation, much to Sydney's frustration.

"Let me do some research and I'll get back to you." Her father deftly slipped the scrambler into his pocket and left the conference room.

Sydney sank into a chair. Vaughn could not…_would not_…be dating Anna Espinosa. She would not allow herself to even dwell on that intensely disturbing idea. He had made it clear to her on more than one occasion how he felt about her. A troubled frown settled on her face as she realized she had not been as forthcoming about her feelings for him. 

In the beginning, Sydney told herself that it was too soon after Danny's death to feel something for another man and her reasoning was justified at the time. But now that over a year had passed (not to mention her brief reunion with Noah), she knew she could no longer lean on that particular crutch.

It wasn't as if she wanted to, anyway. She was too young to be in mourning for the rest of her life and it wasn't such a difficult task to admit her growing attraction to her handler.

But what if she had taken too long to figure it out? Had Vaughn grown tired of waiting for her to give him some kind of sign that his feelings were most definitely returned? 

She realized with some regret that she had taken for granted his always being there for her. She shouldn't have expected Vaughn to live his life in limbo while she kept him dangling on a string, wanting him to want her but holding back on returning those feelings. It was cruel and unfair, especially when she considered all he had done for her.

Sydney thought about all the times Vaughn had put himself on the line for her. She knew he took risks for her—solely to protect her—all the while knowing that he wasn't exactly following CIA protocol. Yet he had had no qualms about breaking in to the Vatican with her or extracting her of out of the FBI lock-up. If only she had realized sooner what that meant.

Sydney suddenly felt an intense desire to see him. She had to find out what was going on or she would go crazy.

*     *     *     *

Sydney tried paging Vaughn numerous times over the next two days. After each phone call, she would sit by the phone for at least an hour afterwards as she waited on pins and needles just to hear his voice again. During those waiting periods, it hit her like a ton of bricks how much she actually missed him. It had never occurred to her how much of an impact a person you saw maybe once every three days—and briefly at that—could have on her life. She realized how very important he was—not only to her sanity but also to any future happiness she might be lucky enough to have.

But as each hour passed without acknowledgement, Sydney grew more upset and more distressed. The fact that she hadn't left the house in two days did not go unnoticed until she finally had to tell Francie she'd sorta kinda met a new guy and did not want to miss his call. Francie thought she was nuts as to be so obsessed that she would actually take the phone with her into the bathroom, but her best friend remained in somewhat concerned support. 

By the time the call she'd been waiting days for finally did happen, Sydney was in no mood for it. She was hurt and angry and absolutely fed up. Obviously, Vaughn wasn't the person she thought he was because if he cared one iota for her, he would have been more considerate of her. Even if _she_ had been acting like a lovesick schoolgirl waiting for a call from the captain of the football team, _he_ should have known better. How could she ever have felt these deep feelings for someone who wouldn't even return a simple phone call?

_Maybe he had other things on his mind_, a little voice inside her head kept taunting her. _Like Anna, perhaps_? Had he been spending all of his free time romancing Anna? She wondered in anguish. Thoughts like that made her want to punch a hole through the wall.

The phone suddenly rang and she stared at it for a few moments, as if it puzzled her. Somehow, she knew it was him and it unnerved her.

Sydney snatched up the phone. "Hello?" Her tone was purposely expressionless.

There was a slight pause on the other end of the line. "Joey's Pizza?" was finally uttered.

This wasn't the person who normally called her. She recognized the low timbre of the voice in her ear. For a brief moment, she thought about that voice whispering sweet nothings into Anna's ear and she saw red.

"Joey's Pizza?" He said again, confused as to why she wasn't responding.

Sydney pursed her lips together. "I'm sorry, I'm not Joey, there is no pizza here, so don't call me again!" Sydney's voice was near a shout as she slammed the phone down. Okay, so that had been an extremely immature thing to do, but she felt a little better now. She sat back and waited for the inevitable follow-up call.

The phone rang seconds later. She picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Joey's Pizza?" The voice was very subdued, almost a monotone. Much to her dismay, it affected her. Two stupid little words and she was on the verge of tears.

Sydney paused and then cleared her throat, so that her voice wouldn't betray her. "Wrong number." She replied in a perfectly calm, clear voice. Then she replaced the receiver very gently back on the hook.

_To be continued_…

**Author's Note**: A big thanks to all who have reviewed.  They really do help in deciding if I want to continue with future chapters. J   


	4. Learning the Truth

Sydney left her house as soon as she hung up the phone. She probably broke several traffic laws in racing over to the warehouse, but she got away with it as well as managing to shake the car that frequently followed her whenever she was out on the town.

She pulled into the parking lot and quickly got out of her SUV. Vaughn's government-issued vehicle was already there and she gave it a little pat before going inside. As always, she was struck by the dead silence in such a cavernous building.

Her strides were long and swiftly paced. She desperately wanted to apologize to Vaughn for their argument a few days earlier.

A lone figure had his back to her as she reached the chain-link fencing. Her brow creased into a frown as she recognized Weiss' dark hair and burly stature.

"Where's Vaughn?" Sydney blurted out in way of a greeting as she wrenched open the gate.

Weiss turned, an uncomfortable look on his face. "Not here." He replied.

"But he called me." She said insistently. "I recognized his voice."

"The regular guy wasn't available." He quipped with a careless shrug. Weiss didn't think it fit to mention that Vaughn had practically begged him to do it just so that he could hear Sydney's voice. Man, he had it so bad for her.

"So why are you here?" Sydney kept her voice just below rudeness (this had nothing to do with Weiss, after all), but it was a struggle.

"I've been temporarily assigned as your handler." Weiss informed her matter-of-factly.

Sydney was floored. "For how long?"

"I can't say." He hedged.

"Did Vaughn request this?" She asked urgently. _Oh, God, was he so mad at me that he would ask for a reassignment_? He had taken her concern for him in completely the wrong way and now he was washing his hands of her.

"I can't tell you that, either."

"Well, what _can_ you tell me?" Sydney snapped in frustration.

"I can tell you about your counter mission." Weiss replied mildly.

"I meant about Vaughn." She growled.

"All I can say is that he's fine." Weiss so wished he didn't have to be in the middle of their (non-)lover's quarrel. Vaughn was one of his best friends and he liked Sydney, too, but he didn't approve of how their relationship was progressing. He hadn't said anything to Vaughn yet, but one of these days, he knew it was going to cause problems. "He's just taking a break from your case."

"A break?" Sydney repeated. "Weiss, what is going on? I know he's involved in something because Sloane thinks he's some stockbroker named Russell Phillips. Why would he have a fake name that actually checks out if this wasn't work-related?"

"With someone like Anna Espinosa, sometimes it's better that she doesn't know your real name." Weiss offered lamely.

Sydney just stared at him. "You cannot be standing there telling me that Vaughn gave her a sanctioned CIA alias simply because he wants to get into her pants!" Her voice rose a few decibels.

Weiss stood his ground for a few moments, but then he caught the slight tremble of Sydney's lips. He folded like a house of cards. 

"Okay, you're right." Weiss admitted reluctantly. "I don't see how it could hurt to tell you now that everything will be going down tomorrow night."

Sydney let out a deep breath. "What is he doing?"

"He's undercover as Russell Phillips because he was the one who spotted Anna in town." Weiss told her. "He realized something was up when he saw her at the museum, so Devlin sent him to find out what Rambaldi artifact she was after."

"And how was he supposed to do that?"

Weiss gave her an embarrassed look. "By any means possible, I suppose."

"He was supposed to wine and dine her?" She persisted. "Act all witty and charming?"

"Some women like that." He mumbled.

"What else did he have to do?" Sydney asked, stone-faced. She could just imagine what Anna might expect from the handsome "Russell Phillips." He was a man, she was a woman…

"You know, Anna is not above using her body to get what she wants." Sydney only had to think back a year ago when she walked in on Anna and that high-ranking official from the Venezuelan parliament _in flagrante delicto _on the official's leather sofa. Her jaw tightened. "Tell me Vaughn didn't do the same thing."

"Sydney, how could you ask such a thing?" Weiss chastised her. "You know Vaughn."

"I also know Anna." She said dourly. "If the only way he could get into her hotel room was to sleep with her…" Her voice trailed off as her eyes narrowed.

"He wouldn't do that." Weiss said adamantly. Sydney might not know about Vaughn's absolute devotion to her, but he did and Weiss knew he wouldn't betray her like that.

"Do you know how he found out which piece she was after?" She pressed him.

"No." He admitted.

"Then you don't really know for sure, do you?" She could feel the sting of tears at the corners of her eyes.

Why was it that when you thought you might lose something you wanted it that much more? You never cared when it was always there right beside you but the minute it was out of your sight, you couldn't wait to get it back.

"Weiss?" Her voice was tentative, but as least it didn't crack.

"Yes?"  
  


"What is my counter-mission for tomorrow night?" On the outside, Sydney was behaving as the consummate professional, but appearances were deceiving. If she had been alone at that moment, Sydney was quite fearful that she might break down. 

Weiss wisely pretended not to notice Sydney's suddenly subdued demeanor and got down to business. "Well, we know that SD-6 has instructed you to let Anna steal the brooch and then get it away from her, but since we already know which piece she's after, we don't want to let it get that far."

"Vaughn has already been told to arrive some time after eight, so you and your father will have to be there about a half hour earlier just to give you time to scope out the situation."  
  


"So you want me to get the brooch before Anna does?"

"That would be the ideal circumstance." Weiss nodded. "To insure that, we have come up with a way for you to distract Anna from her mission." Weiss gave her an unintentional pained look at this point and it registered on Sydney's radar.

"And what might that be?" She inquired suspiciously.

"Well, since Sloane has already told you that you are supposed to appear…inebriated at the reception, we thought you should take it one step further." Weiss gave her a nervous glance. "We want you to pretend you've got the hots for Agent Vaughn."

Sydney gulped. "You want me to do what?" She blurted out.

Weiss was quick to explain. "Look, Sydney, we don't want Anna to be able to execute the theft before you have a chance to get the brooch yourself and so we want to keep her out of the exhibition hall as long as possible."

"And how is my…putting the moves on Vaughn going to accomplish that?" She questioned.

Weiss gave her that ill-at-ease look again. "Well, Vaughn has indicated that Anna might become…jealous if another woman came on to him."

Sydney narrowed her eyes. "Oh, he said that, did he?" She fumed. "Are you sure he's not over-exaggerating Anna's interest in him?" She demanded to know.

"He's assured us that she's pretty taken with him." Weiss replied.  

Sydney was livid. Apparently, Vaughn was throwing himself into his undercover role with more gusto than was required.

Weiss went on to explain the rest of her mission in detail as well as giving her a few little gadgets that would be able to aid and abet her in her act of thievery. As Sydney was slipping the items into her bag, a thought came to her.

"Weiss, does Vaughn know about this little addition to the master plan?" She raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

He shook his head. "Since this was just communicated to me this morning, he doesn't know about it yet."

_Ah-ha_. "Well, would you mind doing me a favor and not tell him?" Sydney asked.

Weiss gave her a studied look. "Look, Sydney, it's not his fault that he had to deceive you--"

"I'm not blaming him for anything." She interrupted, a low-key but forceful edge to her voice.

"So why do I get the feeling you want to twist the screws a bit?" Weiss said shrewdly.

Sydney gave him a grudging look of respect. "Come on, Weiss, can't a girl have a little fun?" She said cajolingly.

"Sydney…"

"I'm not going to do anything to jeopardize the mission." She informed him. "I just want to--"

"--torment him a little for keeping his undercover job a secret from you?" Weiss raised an eyebrow.

"I resent your implication that I would take pleasure in seeing Agent Vaughn squirm." Sydney said haughtily.

Weiss covered a smirk. "I notice you're not denying it, though."

She suddenly shot him an impish grin and Weiss could see why Vaughn had fallen as hard as he had for this woman. "So do I get my way or not?" She demanded sweetly.

Weiss gave a sigh. "Just don't make the guy suffer too much."

Sydney flashed Weiss another brilliant smile and then went off in search of a certain sequined red gown she had in mind as her method of torture.

_To be continued_…

**Author's Note**: As always, many thanks for your encouraging reviews!  They are much appreciated and you all are great to let me know you like my story.


	5. Banter Between Friends

Michael Vaughn watched from his car parked down the road as Sydney jauntily exited the warehouse after her meeting with Weiss. He noticed the extra spring in her step and wondered (a bit jealously) if Weiss had been the reason for the little smile on her beautiful face as she jumped into her car and took off.

Vaughn was still frowning to himself as he entered the warehouse for his briefing with Weiss. He had not been to CIA Headquarters since embarking on his undercover op, so any information he was receiving was being delivered strictly through Weiss, who was acting as a go-between.

Weiss looked up at the sound of his footsteps. "Hey, you just missed--" He suddenly stopped short, realizing it was no accident that Vaughn arrived just minutes after Sydney's departure. "Never mind." He finished lamely.

_Well, if that's the way he wants to play it, that's the way we'll play it_, Vaughn grimaced to himself. Even though Sydney was his primary interest, he wasn't going to ask about her right off the bat. 

"So how's Donovan?" He asked instead. His bulldog was bunking at Weiss' place temporarily while Vaughn was staying at a CIA safehouse during his assignment.

Weiss smirked. "You mean the glutton you mistakenly call your dog?"

Vaughn looked indignant. "Hey, I am not the one who taught him how to snitch peanut butter cookies from the nightstand!" He protested. "Before I left for Bogota, he was perfectly content to sleep on the floor and eat his own dog food."

"The hard floor is no place for a roly-poly like him." His partner said defensively. "No cushioning."

"Yeah, and since you let him sleep on _your_ bed the few nights he stayed with you, he now expects to sack out on _my _bed pillow when he's at home." Vaughn retorted. "Do you know what it's like to sleep on dog drool?"

"Hey, if he doesn't mind yours, you shouldn't get all bent out of shape over his." Weiss deadpanned.

Vaughn gave an exaggerated roll of his eyes. "And knock it off with the fat jokes. He's simply big-boned."

"Yeah, right, he's the Incredible Hulk of bulldogs." Weiss quipped.

Their bonding reparteé out of the way, the two agents got down to business. "So we received the intel regarding SD-6's mission from Agent Bristow." Weiss said in a formal manner. "She'll be attending the reception with her father since Dixon is on vacation this week."

"You told Sydney I was going to be there with Anna?" Vaughn asked.

"She was informed of that, yes." Weiss said affirmatively.

Vaughn looked up at his friend, who was behaving rather oddly. "And didn't she wonder why?"

"Of course." Weiss nodded. "I made the decision to tell her what you were doing. It didn't make sense to keep her in the dark any longer seeing as how SD-6 is aware of your alias, Russell Phillips."

"And are they buying it?"

"As far as I know, your cover is intact."

Vaughn let out a deep breath. "So Sydney knows about me and Anna?"

"She knows you've been undercover." Weiss acknowledged.

"And she knows it's all an act, right?" Vaughn asked urgently. "That my spending time with Anna is because of the mission and not because I wanted to?"

"Well, I didn't say that exactly." Weiss admitted.

"Eric!" Vaughn cried out in protest. "Don't tell me you made it out to be that I'm having some hot and heavy romance with Anna!"

"Actually, Sydney kind of already jumped to that conclusion on her own." Weiss said awkwardly.

Vaughn's mouth dropped open. "What does she think is going on?" He demanded.

"Well, she became a bit upset when I couldn't tell her how you found out which piece Anna was after." Weiss told him.

"What's the big deal?" Vaughn shrugged. "I took her out to dinner, a search team went into her room, found the fake—in plain sight, mind you—and then they got out. Done deal."

"That's really how it went down?"

"It's not brain surgery, Weiss." Vaughn chided him. "Why make things more complicated than they have to be?"

"Well, Agent Bristow must have some kind of imagination because she's all out of joint thinking you had to sleep with Anna in order to gain access to her hotel room." Weiss revealed candidly.

"_What_?" Vaughn yelped. "How could she think that about me?"

"Apparently, she's well-versed in Anna's methods when it comes to the opposite sex, if you know what I mean." Weiss said delicately.

"Damn it." Vaughn started pacing. "Doesn't she know that I would never cheat--" He suddenly stopped in mid-sentence, realizing what he was saying. "I mean, not that there's anything going on where sleeping with Anna could be construed as cheating..." He was aware he was babbling and let the words trail off into a rather awkward ending.

"Put down the shovel, Vaughn, you're just digging your hole deeper. I know your clandestine little love affair is only in your head." Weiss's look softened. "That being said, I know you would never 'cheat' on Sydney." 

"Yeah, well, I think there's something wrong here when you have more faith in me than she does." Vaughn said glumly.

Weiss gave him a sympathetic look. "Look, Mike, when this is all over, you can explain to her that nothing happened with you and Anna."

"Even if I did, what would it matter?" Vaughn gave a rueful shake of his head. "It's not as if she feels even a tenth of what I feel for her, anyway."

"Do you really think that's true given the fact that she's got herself all bent out of shape because she thinks you slept with Anna?" Weiss quizzed him.

Vaughn looked contemplative. "She really seemed jealous?" He asked, a hopeful note in his voice.

Weiss thought to himself about what Sydney was planning for Vaughn. "If you only knew, my friend." 

_To be continued_…

**Author's Note**: I know this chapter was a bit short, but there is a lot of action coming up in the next few chapters and this was the only place I could put a pause in between.  To make up for it, I'm pretty sure I will be able to get the next chapter out by Wednesday, so be on the lookout for it.  Thanks to all for the positive reviews!  


	6. Fatherly Advice

**Author's Note**: Hi everyone!  As promised, here's the latest chapter of my story.  Hope you enjoy and please review!  Thanks!

*     *     *     *

On the evening of the museum reception, Sydney was preening in front of her full-length mirror. She looked stunning in her red sequined gown and she knew it. The dress skimmed her body like a glove, flaunting every curve she possessed and even the ones she didn't. Her makeup was skillfully applied, highlighting her flawless skin, smoky eyes, and dramatic red lips. She decided to wear her hair down, her locks artfully tousled, the ends grazing her shimmery bare shoulders. If Vaughn was like any other normal red-blooded male, he wouldn't be able to tear his eyes away from her. 

The doorbell rang and Sydney went downstairs in her bare feet to answer the door. Her father was standing on her doorstep, looking quite distinguished in his traditional black tuxedo.

"Hi, Dad, come on in." Sydney stepped back across the entryway. "I just have to find my earrings and I'll be ready to go." She was already heading back up the stairs, leaving Jack to ponder why his daughter was apparently pulling out all of the stops with her appearance tonight.

"So what do you think?" Sydney was back downstairs in two minutes, twirling before her father.

Jack gave her the briefest of smiles. "You look very nice." The words came out sounding stiff and awkward. He wasn't used to paying compliments to women, even if the woman was his daughter.

"Gee, Dad, that just makes me feel warm and tingly all over." Sydney said mischievously, feeling in such a good mood that she could tease her father. "You look very nice, too." She said dutifully, patting his lapel.

"Thank you." Jack acknowledged politely. "Sydney, you don't think the dress is a bit…much?" He asked hesitantly.

She gave her father a wide-eyed look of innocence. "I'm not sure I know what you mean, Dad."

"Well, it's not as if you have to go out of your way to attract Agent Vaughn's interest." Her father pointed out. "I mean, it's part of the plan that he's supposed to pay attention to you in order to distract Anna."

_If you only knew_… "But, Dad, it's not as if I could go in there wearing a housecoat and bedroom slippers!" Sydney protested. "I'm supposed to be playing the part of the intoxicated vixen." She said with a dramatic flair, fluttering her eyelashes in an overly coquettish manner.

Jack looked slightly taken aback. "Just as long as you don't get too involved in your role, Sydney." He said warningly as Sydney picked up her wrap and handbag. 

"We do have to make it look realistic, don't we?" She countered, as her father opened the door for them to leave.

Jack didn't like where this conversation was headed and he intended to find out specifically what Sydney had in mind for Agent Vaughn.

He brought up the subject again as soon as they were on the road. "Sydney, I don't mean to pry, but what exactly are your feelings towards Mr. Vaughn?" He began tentatively.

"My feelings?" She echoed in a guarded tone. "He's my handler." She said evasively, stating the obvious.

"You've told me his occupation, not how you feel about him."

Sydney remained silent for a long moment. "He's also my friend." She said finally.

"And nothing more?"

"Why would you think there was anything more?" She hedged.  
  


"Well, you became quite upset when you thought he was dating Anna." Her father pointed out.

"I was only expressing my concern for his safety." Sydney protested weakly.

Jack gave her a knowing look. "Okay, let's say it wasn't Anna Espinosa of K-Directorate fame. What if she had just been an ordinary woman Vaughn was seeing?"

Sydney's silence told Jack all he needed to know. He let out a sigh. "Sydney, I know I don't have to tell you how colossally dangerous it would be for you to enter into any of kind of relationship with Mr. Vaughn."

"I know, I know." Sydney said, a bit frustrated. "I know it would be stupid and difficult and heartbreaking, not to mention suicidal. Believe me, Dad, I have lain awake at night making lists of all the reasons why I shouldn't feel anything towards him."

"Yet you still allow yourself--"

"Allow myself?" Sydney interrupted. "Dad, if you're attracted to someone, it's hardly in your power to fight it. You might want to deny it--especially in this case because it would mean dire consequences for us both--but sometimes the connection you have with someone is just too strong to ignore."

Jack let his daughter's words sink into his brain. He knew quite well what it was like to love someone who was completely wrong for you. Even when he found out that Laura had only been using him as a cover for her KGB activities--that their whole courtship and marriage had been a sham--he wanted to hate her, but it wasn't in his power to do so. 

"So where do you expect to go with this?" Her father asked.

"What do you mean?"

"If you were to tell Agent Vaughn how you felt about him, what do you think would happen?" Jack's tone was clipped but not curt. "You certainly couldn't go out as a normal couple. You couldn't introduce him to your friends. You would have to settle for sordid rendezvous at that warehouse you always meet in."

"Dad!" Sydney cried out embarrassedly. "There's no reason to be crude."

"Sydney, I'm just trying to spell it out for you." Jack said patiently. "A relationship with Agent Vaughn would be doomed from the start and I don't want you to be hurt again."

Sydney experienced a flash of gratitude and it showed on her face, but her father didn't see it because of the darkness. "I appreciate that you want to protect me, Dad." Sydney said carefully. "But you don't have to badmouth any possible future we might have just because you don't like him."

Jack had the temerity to look affronted. Before he could protest, Sydney silenced him with a look. 

"Dad, you intimidate every person who crosses your path and you love it." She scolded him. "Now normally, I get a big kick out of it, but I wish you wouldn't try so hard to be Big Bad Dad in front of Vaughn."  
  
"I believe I have been nothing but civil to Mr. Vaughn." Jack said stiffly.

"Exactly my point, Dad." Sydney rolled her eyes. "You could be a little more…receptive to him. Maybe he wouldn't feel so much like something you wanted to scrape off your shoe."

Jack's mouth quirked. "If he would behave in a more appropriate manner, I would have no problem with Agent Vaughn. I disapprove of some of the actions he's taken in regard to you and the management of your case, but there have been signs that he has the markings of becoming a fine agent if he could just exercise a little self-restraint."

"Self-restraint?"

"He's let himself become too emotionally attached to you, Sydney, and sometimes it clouds his judgment." Jack said tersely.

Sydney let out a frustrated groan. "God, are those like the hot, psychological buzzwords at the moment? 'Emotionally attached?' What the hell is wrong if he cares whether I live or die?"

"There's much more to it than that, Sydney, and you know it."

"I should've expected this from you." She gave an exasperated sigh. "Fathers since the beginning of time have never liked their daughter's boyfriends." 

"Sydney!" Jack gasped sharply. "You just said there was nothing--"

"I know what I said and he's not and we're not." She cut in cryptically. "But that doesn't mean it won't happen someday."  
  
Jack cut his eyes at her but said nothing.

"Maybe you don't want to hear this, but I'm going to say it, anyway." Sydney kept her voice even. "I didn't even realize it myself until we had this separation forced upon us, but I found myself missing him. He's the only person I can talk to about my crazy, twisted existence and that's not something I want to give up."

"I want Vaughn in my life, Dad." She went on in an emphatic manner. "I know you wish it would just be as my handler, but it's already too late for that. Right now he's my handler, but he's also my friend and I care about him."

"And just to prepare you, one day I'm going to want more from him and hopefully he'll feel the same way." She added.

Jack sighed audibly. "Daughters since the beginning of time have always wanted the men their fathers disapprove of."

Sydney had to grin. "Dad, I'm not sixteen years old and this isn't some teenage rebellion phase I'm going through. Not that you haven't given me enough ammunition in my life that I _could_ go down that route, but as I said, I'm not a kid anymore."

"Sydney, it's just not sensible--"

"Whoever said love was." She finished softly. "Dad, I don't know what's going to happen between me and Vaughn. If we never take down SD-6, then he and I are doomed to be a couple of star-crossed lovers who can never be." Sydney's voice was subdued, not wanting to even let that thought cross her mind.

Then she brightened. "Or--if you'll allow me a slight exaggeration--we can be one of those great love stories you always hear about, overcoming insurmountable odds, staring down certain death, beating the bad guys and all that good stuff." She tried to coax a smile out of her churlish father. "Don't you want a happy ending for your little girl?"

The look on Jack's face was telling unto itself. "There is nothing I want more than for you to be happy." He said quietly. "Happy and safe."

"Well, with a little luck, Vaughn will be able to help me with both of those." Sydney replied, a hopeful note in her voice.

_To be continued_…


	7. Across A Crowded Room

Jack and Sydney parted when they arrived at the exhibition hall, he to do a bit of reconnaissance work regarding the Rambaldi brooch and she to survey the crowd. Sydney knew Vaughn and Anna weren't due to arrive for at least another half hour, but she wanted to appear properly intoxicated by the time they showed up just in case Anna had some "helpers" interspersed throughout the art-loving crowd.

Sydney procured a glass of "champagne" from a Pink Carnationed-waiter and proceeded to knock it back rather quickly as she took a stroll around the room. She didn't bother looking at any of the display cases, but was content to study her surroundings.

The large room with its cream-colored stucco walls, wooden beams and high ceilings had a light and airy feel to it. One wall consisted of mullioned floor-to-ceiling windows, a pair of double French doors opening out onto a large balcony, which wrapped around one side of the building and led down to a courtyard area surrounded by shade trees and lush vegetation. A dais was set up in the courtyard along with several buffet tables and a small dancing area, where a 5-piece band was playing music to set the mood.

Sydney was on her third glass of sparkling cider when Vaughn and Anna appeared at the entrance to the exhibition hall. She heard the sharp intake of her breath when she caught sight of Vaughn for the first time in days.

Damn, he looked better in his tuxedo than any man had a God-given right to be. The crisp white shirt contrasted nicely against the well-cut black jacket, the fabric rippling freely with every movement of his lean body. To her embarrassment, Sydney felt the room becoming a bit too warm for comfort and moved outside for a moment, hoping the cool night air would be a balm to her flushed cheeks.

Vaughn was aware of Sydney's presence in the room even though he had yet to lay eyes on her. He tried not to look so eager as he perused the room, but it had been several days since they had last seen each other and he was missing her more than he thought possible. 

He finally spotted her outside, standing next to the edge of the balcony. A string of Japanese lanterns gave her skin a soft golden glow, the sequins on her amazing red dress twinkling with every graceful movement as the light hit each sparkly, spangly disk.

Sydney looked stunning and he could say that, knowing he was totally biased. Every man in the room who had a pulse was giving her the onceover, shooting appreciative glances at the way her dress hugged every luscious curve of her body. Her skin looked like the softest velvet and Vaughn felt a dull ache in his chest as he wondered what it would be like to hold her in his arms, breathe in her scent, feel the satiny-smooth skin of her cheek next to his.

Vaughn knew now without a doubt how he felt about her and this undercover op-imposed separation only served to clarify his feelings. Even if he had wanted to deny it, it would have been an exercise in futility.

He had had a glimpse of what his life would be like if she wasn't a part of it and it was an existence he didn't even want to contemplate. Sydney was under his skin and in his blood and sometimes it made him feel as if he were a junkie, needing to come in contact with her every so often in order to get his fix. She was like his drug of choice and he was becoming increasingly aware how dependent he was about feeding his craving. Maybe it wasn't exactly "professional" behavior, but as long as he didn't endanger her, he didn't see it as harmful. Except maybe to his fragile psyche.

Because he was a handler in love with his agent, creating a situation that grew ever cloudier by the minute. He knew it was dangerous and foolish and all those other things Weiss was always warning him about, but could he help it if his heart didn't want to listen to his head? He had tried to deny it, tried to keep it from happening, but whenever she looked at him with those soft brown eyes (not to mention the heart-tugging dimples!), he lost all sense of reasoning.

So now he had to deal with it. He obviously couldn't act on his feelings…hell, he didn't even know if they were returned in even an infinitesimally small amount, but if Sydney were to give him even the slightest sign of how she felt…

Did she even feel one speck of jealousy at the thought of him spending time with Anna? Or were all those harsh words just borne out of her ultra-protective nature to look out for the people in her life? Okay, so admittedly, he was a fringe-dweller and not an insider (like Will!), but that said something, didn't it? If she didn't care, then she wouldn't have lit in to him for his supposed dalliance with a dangerous super-spy like Anna.

Sydney turned to lean against the balcony railing. She could see them through the French doors. Her gaze fixated on Anna, her heart twisting as she watched Vaughn guiding her through the room with a gentle grip on her elbow. They made a striking-looking couple, Anna's darkly exotic beauty in direct contrast to Vaughn's fair-haired boy good looks. Anna was wearing an ivory silk halter dress with a plunging back, the creamy color looking magnificent against her dusky skin. Her long hair was gathered into a sleek topknot, but instead of a tight bun, the length of it flowed freely like a cascading waterfall down her back.

As Sydney slid her eyes slowly from Anna's lithe form, she suddenly found herself locking eyes with Vaughn. An electric jolt coursed through her body as she saw the expression on Vaughn's face turn from one of bored indifference to undisguised longing. For a moment, she thought she had imagined such an uncharacteristically blatant response from someone so normally reserved. Sydney blinked and the look was gone, leaving her to wonder if it had even happened.

Vaughn was hopeful he had covered up his lustful gaze before Sydney could witness it. He shouldn't have let his guard down so completely, but that was what she did to him.

Anna stopped at one of the display cases, turning to Vaughn as she did so. Sydney watched as Anna leaned in close to whisper something in his ear. An irrational burst of jealousy flared inside of her. Vaughn nodded and then wandered off. Anna turned her attention to the display case in front of her.

Sydney squared her shoulders and walked back into the exhibition hall. She rearranged her features into a giddy little grin and stumbled over to Anna. Sydney banged into the display case, causing Anna to look up, a frown on her face. When she saw Sydney, a knowing smirk twisted her lips.

"I should have expected to see you tonight." Anna muttered in her slightly accented English.

"Don't worry, I'm not on duty tonight." Sydney waved her hand carelessly, sloshing a bit of her drink in the process.

Anna raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Like I would believe you?"

"I really don't care what you believe." Sydney proceeded to down the rest of her drink and then looked around the room as if searching for someone. "Now where is that waiter? He promised me he would keep these coming!" She waggled the empty flute in Anna's face.

"Are you drunk, Bristow?" Anna asked softly, her voice incredulous.

Sydney gave her a goofy smile. "Not yet, but I'm getting there."

Just then, Vaughn appeared, two glasses of champagne in his hands. He gave her a polite smile--the kind you might give to a passing stranger on the street--and then handed a glass to Anna with a much warmer smile that made it all the way up to his eyes. Sydney frowned at the intimate look he gave her. Was it an act or was it for real?

_What was Sydney doing making contact with them_? Vaughn wondered to himself. Surely, this wasn't part of the plan!

"Hello," He looked at her and then looked at Anna, waiting for an introduction. 

"Well, hello to you," Sydney cooed provocatively, giving Vaughn an openly admiring glance. He looked slightly taken aback at her brazenness and she stifled a smile. "I hope that's for me." She took the glass of champagne from the stunned-looking Vaughn and proceeded to down ¾ of it in one single gulp. _Oops, that was the real stuff_, she realized as the bubbles tickled her nose. _Oh, well, one glass can't hurt_. "Aren't you going to _introdusssh_ us?" She looked at Anna as she slurred her words, causing Vaughn to frown.

"Not if I can help it." Anna muttered, obviously annoyed. Sydney wondered if her attitude stemmed from Sydney trying to interfere with her mission or with her love life.

"Now don't be rude!" Sydney chastised her in a cloyingly perky sorority-girl way. "My name is Sydney Bristow." She offered her hand prettily.

Vaughn paused slightly. "Russell Phillips." He took her hand and shook it. His eyes shot her a questioning glance before he realized Anna was watching his reaction to his flirtatious, drunken accoster.

"How do you do? Have you been down to the courtyard yet? I've heard the musicians they've hired are quite _sh-uitable_ for _danshing_." She gave him a flirtatious eyelash flutter.

"Thank you for letting me know." Vaughn gave her another cordial smile. "Mariana and I will be sure to take full advantage of it." And with Anna's smug smile flashing over his shoulder, a confused Vaughn whisked Anna away from her.

Sydney felt her face flaming. Okay, so she knew he was playing the part of the attentive suitor, but she would have appreciated even a little acknowledgement on his part that she'd struck some sort of chord with him. A response that _wasn't_ part of the master plan.

Sydney swallowed the rest of her champagne and then followed Vaughn and Anna down to the courtyard. She caught sight of them on the dance floor and it made her heart twist into a knot. Anna had her body pressed up against Vaughn and she was laughing as he whispered something in her ear.

_Damn it, did he have to be so convincing in his lothario persona_? Sydney fumed silently, again pushing down the little spurt of jealousy that had erupted within her.

She made eye contact with her father, who was standing by the buffet. Sydney made a little head motion towards Vaughn and Anna and he understood that she was going to cut in on them. 

Normally, Sydney was not the type to cut in on another couple while they were dancing, but being a spy required a certain amount of bravado. And even if this wasn't for the sake of the mission, she was still interested in finding out how Vaughn would respond to her drunken advances.

Sydney glided over to Vaughn and Anna, who were situated along the edge of the dance floor. Vaughn noticed her a split second before she tapped Anna rather purposefully on the shoulder and his eyes shot her a bewildered look.

Anna whirled around and the delighted look on her face changed dramatically when she saw who had interrupted her dance. "What do you want?" She asked rudely.

"Do you mind if I cut in?" Sydney asked sweetly.

Anna's eyes narrowed. "As a matter of fact, I--"

"Ms. Ortega!" They all turned to see a blustery little man with a white handlebar mustache and a bald pate coming towards them.

"Excuse me, have we met?" Anna's demeanor changed yet again into one of well-mannered civility as she looked at the man.

"My name is Bertram Farquhar and I am a trustee for the museum." The little man boomed. "I have heard about your splendid museum in Brazil and would like very much for you to tell me all about it." Bertram took hold of her elbow and tried to maneuver Anna off the dance floor.

Anna looked flustered. "You've heard about what?" She sputtered as Sydney grabbed Vaughn's arm.

"You go on and talk nice with the man." Sydney gave her a little wave. "I'll make sure Mr. Phillips has a good time." She couldn't resist a giggle as she wrapped her arms around Vaughn's neck. Over his shoulder, she caught her father's slightly amused gaze and realized Bertram Farquhar's timely appearance had been his doing. Sydney gave him a little salute before Vaughn spun her around.

_Mmmm, this is nice_, she thought dreamily as she laid her head on his shoulder. Sydney realized this was the first moment between them that could be construed as romantic. Yes, he had hugged her before, but that had been one of comfort, not passion. For a few brief moments, she forgot what she was doing, what she was there for, and just let herself enjoy the sensation of his warm hand on her bare back. His breath as it caressed her shoulders. The solidness of his body as she leaned up against him. The feel of his heart beating against hers.

"Sydney, what is going on?" Vaughn murmured in her ear, marveling at how he was _thisclose_ to being able to nibble on the smooth white skin of her neck. All those times he had thought about how it would feel to hold her in his arms didn't even compare to the actuality of it. He could feel himself literally drowning at the very nearness of her. Her perfume filled his senses, the skin beneath his fingertips was warm and soft to the touch. He loved how the curve of her body fit so perfectly against his. Not for the first time, he wished that this moment they were sharing was real. That it wasn't because of the job or to save the world. That it was just the two of them, Michael and Sydney, dancing.

"What's the matter, 'Russell'?" Sydney gave him a slow smile. "Can't a girl let a guy know she finds him attractive?"

Vaughn's reaction was like a deer caught in headlights. "Syd, I don't know what kind of game you're playing--"

"Oh, but it's not a game." She murmured. "Maybe I'm thinking that this is exactly the right moment to tell you how I really feel about you."

Vaughn's heart nearly stopped. "Sydney, what are you saying?" He whispered.

She gave him a sweet smile and then she dropped her bomb. "I don't appreciate being left out of the loop because you and your sexist colleagues at the agency think I might get too emotionally involved!" She hissed, dimly aware that she was probably proving their point, but too incensed to care. "Do you know how I felt thinking that you and Anna were getting all hot and bothered with one another?"

Vaughn was taken aback. "Sydney--" He wanted to say something that would placate her, but she would have none of it.

"No, don't say anything." She shook her head. "I don't want to hear all the gory details."

"Sydney, it wasn't like that!" He protested.

Sydney gave him a knowing smirk. "Yeah, right. Are you going to stand there and deny that Anna wanted to sleep with you?"

As much as he would have liked to, he couldn't. Anna _had _invited him to her room the night before, but he had 'regretfully' declined, citing an early breakfast meeting with a client. Vaughn had been flattered, but not the least bit tempted.

But what was most interesting was Sydney's reaction to the whole matter. She was acting as if he had wronged her and that could only mean one thing. _She was jealous_. That kind of knowledge could be useful in the right person's hands.

"Well, now that you mention it, I guess I can't really deny that." Vaughn acknowledged truthfully, suddenly feeling as if he had gained the upper hand.

He could see her jaw harden as she gritted her teeth and it tickled him. "Well, I guess I know now just how far you'll go to be in service for your country." Sydney said frostily.

Vaughn smiled like a Cheshire cat, which infuriated Sydney. "You have your way of serving your country and I have mine." He said smoothly, a touch of amusement in his voice.

She glared at his flippant attitude. "Well, let me just say that your way is not only degrading, it's disgusting."

"So you frown upon a person using his or her body as a means of persuading someone to give you what you want?" Vaughn raised an eyebrow and Sydney suddenly felt the temperature rise a few degrees. "I seem to recall reading in one of your debriefs that you didn't have any problem with this when you were doing your cabaret act in Paris."

Sydney bristled in his arms. "That was business. I certainly didn't _enjoy _hanging all over Khasinau like that." She looked at him pointedly. "Unlike yourself."

"Anna is a lot more attractive than Khasinau, isn't she?" Vaughn agreed, his eyes roaming for a glimpse of the K-Directorate spy. She was still cornered by Bertram Farquhar, but he could see by her expression that she was _not _happy about his dancing with Sydney. 

"Are you admitting to me that you're mixing business with pleasure?" Sydney sounded outraged.

"If you can do it, why can't I?" He queried.

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, what else would you call your little drunken flirtation act?" Vaughn questioned her with a knowing look on his face and she blushed. "You deliberately made me think you were drunk and that you were coming on to me."

Sydney had the grace to look abashed. "That was just for fun. To get you back for keeping me in the dark about your activities."

"Oh," Vaughn nodded. "So you really weren't trying to elicit any response from me?"

Sydney gave him a surprised look. "If I were, what kind of response would I get?" Her question was uttered so softly, he had to lean close to hear them. Foolish move on his part as he was drawn once more into her enticing orbit.

Vaughn was momentarily at a loss for words. Was she asking him to tell her how he really felt about her?

"Sydney, I--" He started to say.

"Excuse me, but I need to have a word with my daughter." Jack suddenly appeared, interrupting what might have been a moment of great significance between them. Sydney cursed her father silently for his bad timing and was doubly upset when he whisked her away from Vaughn before she could say anything to him.

"Dad, what are you doing?" She questioned as he maneuvered them over near the band. It was a little closer than she would have liked seeing as how the loudness of the music affected her ability to think.

"Sydney, there's a problem." He said to her in a low voice, the music drowning out anyone's ability to overhear their conversation. "The Rambaldi piece is not being shown tonight."

"What?"

"I checked all of the display cases and my guess is that they're saving some of the pieces for later on to encourage return visits."

"So that means I'm going to have to break into the vault." Her words were a statement rather than a question.

Jack nodded. "Did you have a chance to look at the specs for the museum?"

"Weiss gave them to me." Sydney replied. "He also gave me a card key and a code descrambler in case this situation came up."

Jack gave a nod of approval. "When I discovered what was going on, I placed a call to Weiss, who was able to tap into the computer system of the museum to obtain the inventory number for the brooch." Jack looked around surreptitiously before reciting the number to her. "The number is AA109BC12."

"AA109BC12." Sydney repeated, committing the number to memory.

"You know, this Weiss fellow appears to have a lot on the ball." Her father commented neutrally, although they both knew his declaration was far from innocuous. "Maybe you should consider--"

Sydney's heavy sigh cut him off. "Dad, don't start." She cut her eyes over at Anna and Vaughn, who had been reunited. "Does Vaughn know?"

"No." Jack shook his head. "His assignment is to keep Anna occupied for as long as he is able. I'll keep an eye on her while you're gone." Sydney felt her father slip something into her hand. "An earpiece, in case we need to communicate."

"Okay," The band finished their song and Sydney and Jack ambled off the dance floor. Anna appeared not to even notice them, so enamored was she with Vaughn. 

_Enjoy him while you can, Anna_, Sydney thought to herself a bit triumphantly as she strolled back into the museum. _I'll soon be back to reclaim what's mine_.

_To be continued_…

**Author's Note**: Just wanted to give a big thanks to all of you who keep reading and reviewing!  You guys are awesome and I'm really glad to know you're enjoying my story!


	8. Running Scared

**Author's Note**: Thank you for making this my first 100+ review story!  I know some of you fabulous authors out there have experienced this before so it's no big deal to you, but it's a milestone for me!

P.S. I'm letting you know now that this chapter and the next chapter are really short, but it looks like the one after it will be the finale and that one's turning out extra-long.  Thanks for keeping me going!

*     *     *     *     *

Sydney made a quick stop in the ladies room before heading back into the exhibition hall. Pilfering priceless works of art took a lot out of a girl and she needed to take a moment to catch her breath.

Breaking into the vault had been surprisingly simple. She knew exactly where it was located thanks to Weiss' specs and the card key he had provided her opened the door leading to the vault with ease. Once inside, she attached the descrambler to the vault and let it do its stuff. It took several minutes to unscramble the security code, but she was able to get inside relatively quickly.

Locating the ruby-and-topaz brooch, however, took longer than expected. Every second she was in the vault, she was expecting her father's voice in her ear, saying that Anna was on her way. If only the museum hadn't had such a convoluted filing system!

But she eventually managed to find the brooch and replace it with the fake Marshall had conjured up. Since the CIA would be getting the real brooch, she planned to give the CIA-made one to Sloane. 

Sydney had been gone close to half an hour by the time she reappeared at the entrance to the exhibition hall. Her father met her immediately.

"Do you have it?" He raised his eyebrow a fraction of an inch in question.

Sydney nodded, plastering a big fake smile on her face. "Oh, Dad, I'm afraid your boutonniere is all wilted." She said in louder than normal voice and reached up to remove the flower in her father's lapel. As she did so, she slipped the brooch into the breast pocket of his tuxedo jacket.

Jack's mouth twitched slightly and Sydney thought she saw a look of appreciation in his eyes. "Come along, we'd better get going." He put his hand under her elbow to steer her towards the exit.

"Dad, wait," Sydney quickly scanned the room, trying to quell the surging panic she was feeling in the pit of her stomach when she couldn't find the person for whom she was looking. "Where's Vaughn?"

Jack looked at her with a faintly guilty look. "I think Anna noticed you were missing and she may have gone after you. He may have gone after her."

"And you didn't tell me?" Sydney exploded, albeit quietly. "Dad, you were supposed to be watching them!"

"They didn't leave until after you'd already gotten out. I figured you were safe."

"Dad, that's not the point." She said angrily. "Vaughn could be in danger if he goes after her."

"Sydney, it was his choice to go after her." Jack pointed out. "He's a trained agent. He can handle her if things get rough."

"Can you guarantee that?" Sydney said fearfully. "I have to go after them." She turned to go, but her father kept his grip on her arm.

"Sydney, you cannot go looking for him now." Jack ordered in his most authoritative voice. "You may blow his cover and you know what Anna will do to him if she finds out he has been using her."

"What if she already has him? I can't just stand here and do nothing!" She gave her father a pleading look.

"Sydney--"

"Dad, you can't make me bow down to you like all the other underlings who are scared of you." She wrenched her arm from his grasp. "I'll be careful." She promised, running down the dark, deserted hallways back towards the vault.

The vault was located in the basement of the museum. Sydney removed her high heels, partly so that she would be a quieter presence and partly so that she wouldn't turn an ankle while running along the slick flooring. She was able to make it down to the basement without being noticed by any of the security guards. 

_Why had Vaughn gone after Anna_? Sydney wondered to herself as she turned a corner. It hadn't been part of the plan and now there was a good chance that he was in danger. Something about vengeance and a woman scorned came to mind. If Anna was on to Vaughn, Sydney knew what would happen and so she had to find him as quickly as she could. She would never forgive herself if something happened to him before she got the chance to tell him how much he meant to her.

She came upon the security door that led to the vault. She noticed it was cracked open about an inch and a chill ran across her bones. She hadn't left it unlocked, so obviously someone had broken in after her. Of course, there was only one other person it could be and while Sydney didn't exactly relish going into an ambush, she had no choice. If Anna had Vaughn, she had to take what Anna had in store for her.

Sydney slowly pushed open the door and slipped in. The heavy steel door sealing the vault was directly in front of her and it looked to be undisturbed.

_Where the hell was Anna_? Sydney started towards the vault but froze in tracks when she heard a gun being cocked at the side of her head.

_To be continued_…


	9. Frozen in Place

**Author's Note**: Okay, I know this one is really too short to be a chapter, which is why I'm putting it out so soon after my previous update.  What can I say?  I believe in the power of the cliffhanger!  Seriously, though, I hope the last installment of my story will make up for it since it's seeming to go on for pages and pages…(just kidding!)

Note to Corinne: First off, thanks for all your reviews.  I do notice who's enjoying my stuff and I really appreciate the great feedback you've been giving me.  Anyway, about the brooch question.  What I actually said was that Sydney would replace the real brooch with Marshall's fake and the CIA would get the real one.  Also don't forget that the CIA came up with their own copy (if you'll recall in Chapter 5, Vaughn told Weiss he found out which piece Anna was after because he sent a search team into Anna's hotel room while he and Anna went out to dinner.) and since SD-6 also wants the brooch, Sydney was going to give the one the CIA made to them.  Sorry, I know it sounds convoluted, but this way everyone ends up thinking they have the real brooch when it really went to the CIA.  In any case, it doesn't really figure into the main plot of the story, which is Sydney & Vaughn! (What else is there?)

Hope this explains everything!

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"Hello, Ms. Bristow." Sydney didn't dare turn her head, but she knew before she heard the voice that Anna was on the other side of the gun. "Put your hands on your head!" She barked and then crept stealthily around until she was standing in front of Sydney, the gun pointed straight at her heart. "Not so drunk anymore, are you?" Anna sneered.

Sydney slowly brought up her hands above her head. "Anna, I don't know what you're doing, but I'm not armed."

"More's the pity for you, isn't it?" Anna remarked sarcastically. "I assume you are after the Rambaldi brooch?"

Sydney swallowed the huge lump in her throat. "Actually, no." She replied cautiously.

"Oh, so you expect me to believe you got lost on your way from the ladies room?" Anna arched an eyebrow in derision. Keeping the gun trained on Sydney, she moved towards the vault and placed a descrambler on the steel door. Numbers started flashing as the code was being broken. "Please explain what you are doing here then. It will pass the time until the door is open and I kill you." Anna was smiling pleasantly at her, as if they were discussing the weather or the latest Tom Cruise movie.

"Why would you want to do that?" Sydney inquired. "Think of all the fun we would miss out on together." She dared to be flip.

"Somehow I think my life would be a lot more enjoyable if you weren't in it." Anna retorted. 

"But it would be so boring." Sydney cut her eyes at the descrambler. Three of the seven numbers were aligned. "So since we have some time for a little girl talk, why don't you tell me about the delicious Mr. Phillips?" She let a smile play about her lips, which infuriated Anna.

"I hope you don't think you made any sort of impression on him." Anna said loftily. "I seem to recall him telling me that you were a pushy, unappealing drunk." She smiled sweetly through her insults.

"And was that before or after he couldn't keep his hands off me when we were dancing?" Sydney countered, receiving another one of Anna's glares. "Maybe _you _were the one who didn't make a good impression on him, honey." She said in a careless fashion.

Anna narrowed her eyes at Sydney. "I assure you that the time I spent with Mr. Phillips was extremely fulfilling and not something he will soon forget."

Sydney struggled not to react to Anna's taunts. She was lying, she had to be. _Vaughn wouldn't have slept with her_. _I have to believe in him_.

A tiny alarm went off and they both looked at the descrambler. The numbers were all in place. Anna backed towards the door and tried the handle. It opened immediately.

She turned back to Sydney. "Well, I guess time's up for you." Anna smiled, but her eyes were cold. "I'll tell Russell tonight in my hotel room how very happy he made a dying woman." Anna aimed the gun at Sydney's chest. Sydney struggled not to flinch. 

"_Mariana_!"

_To be continued_…


	10. Actions Speak Louder than Words

Sydney felt her heart pounding in her chest like a bass drum when she heard Vaughn's voice, but her gaze didn't waver as she watched Anna visibly stiffen and she was downright flabbergasted when the hand holding the gun trembled slightly.

"Get in the vault." Anna suddenly grabbed her arm and thrust her through the open doorway. She pushed Sydney in ahead of her and then closed the door behind them.

Michael Vaughn crept as quietly as his black dress shoes would allow him along the uncarpeted floorboards. He was probably undertaking a fool's errand in going after Anna, but his resolve was steadfast. Once he saw that Sydney was notably absent from the exhibition hall, he knew that she had had to break into the vault in order to get the brooch. Anna no doubt realized this as well and that was when she excused herself, pleading a trip to the ladies room. Vaughn knew that he had to buy some time for Sydney, so he took off after Anna, hoping to catch up and waylay her by suggesting a little cat-and-mouse foreplay in the restricted areas of the museum. (Hey, it wasn't something he _wanted _to do, but he would force himself in order to help Sydney!)

Unfortunately, when Vaughn tried to follow her down to the basement of the museum, he ran into some trouble with a security guard, who ordered him back to the reception, stating--rather overbearingly, he might add--that the other parts of the museum were off-limits to guests. Vaughn pretended to acquiesce, but the moment the guard turned the corner, he was off again towards the stairway that would take him to the first floor and then on down to the basement. 

Having memorized the museum specs, Vaughn knew he was close to the vault. He noticed the open security door and withdrew his gun from its holster.

Inside the vault, Sydney was slowly gaining some insight into Anna's strange behavior. "You like him, don't you?" She stared at Anna.

"Don't be stupid." Anna said disdainfully, her ear pressed futilely against the steel door. "He is nothing to me."

Sydney wasn't buying it. "I saw the look on your face when you heard his voice."

Anna's imperious façade faltered a bit. "He is just someone who doesn't want anything more from me than the pleasure of my company. I don't find that so much." Anna looked particularly vulnerable at that moment and Sydney almost felt a sort of kinship with her.

"I know what you mean." Sydney agreed. "You don't want to kill him, do you?"

Anna gave her a long look. "I don't want him to know I am involved in the robbery." She finally said and then motioned Sydney towards the door with her gun. "You will knock him out. Then I will tie the both of you up, find the brooch and be able to make my getaway."

_Well, it was better than being shot in the heart_, Sydney grimaced and reluctantly picked up a heavy piece of sculpture. She positioned herself behind the door, Anna's gun poking her in the back.

It seemed like hours passed before the door to the vault opened. Sydney was about to pass out in anticipation of Vaughn's arrival.

"Mariana?" Vaughn called out softly, pushing the door open very cautiously.

When he was all the way inside the vault, Anna nudged her. Sydney gave a silent prayer that Vaughn would forgive her for this and then swung. Vaughn yelped upon impact of clay hitting bone and fell to the floor in a heap. Sydney winced as she heard the thud of his body hitting the floor. Then she heard the sound of something else dropping to the ground and her heart rose in her throat as she saw the gun Vaughn had been holding skitter away underneath the table.

_Oh, God, if Anna sees the gun, she'll know "Russell Phillips" is a fraud_! She thought frantically. In the midst of the confusion, Sydney made a mad dash for the table and was able to kick the weapon under a standing bookcase holding a number of ancient artifacts in the process of being cleaned. She gave a huge sigh of relief and then focused her attention back to Anna and Vaughn.

As it turned out, she needn't have been so worried.

"Did you have to hit him so hard?" Anna rushed to the fallen Vaughn and momentarily forgot to cover Sydney as she cradled his head in her lap, brushing the hair away from his forehead. Sydney knew she had the opportunity to escape at that moment and lock Anna in the vault, but jealousy won out over prudence and she knew there was no way she would leave the two of them alone together.

"Sorry." Sydney uttered inadequately. _She_ wanted to be the one tending to Vaughn bashed-in head and she certainly didn't appreciate Anna fawning all over him. Who was the person who had ordered Sydney to clonk Vaughn on the head, after all?

"Anna, if you keep fussing over him, he'll wake up and wonder why you're here!" Sydney hissed at her impatiently.

Anna acknowledged her words very reluctantly and gently laid Vaughn's head on the cold floor. "Get him into that chair and tie him up." Anna tossed a ball of twine she found on one of the supply tables at Sydney.

Sydney did as she was told, "accidentally" leaving Vaughn's bindings a little loose. Anna made a cursory check of her knots and then instructed her to sit in the other chair, so that she could be trussed up herself. With each loop anchoring her to the chair, Sydney could feel the coarse string biting into her bare skin. Anna was being merciless and Sydney knew she was enjoying it.

When Sydney was securely tethered to her seat, Anna went in search of the brooch. Sydney began to struggle against her bonds while Anna was otherwise occupied, but it seemed to be of no use. She could wiggle her fingers but not enough to catch hold of the twine and Vaughn was too far away from her (not to mention dead to the world) to help.

Sydney heard a joyous shout in the bowels of the vault and surmised that Anna must have found the fake Rambaldi brooch. _At least that would be one score in my favor_, Sydney thought, in somewhat good humor. After all, she was still alive and it appeared that Anna would allow her to stay that way.

"I found what I was looking for!" Anna singsonged at Sydney, waving the brooch in front of her face right before she dropped it into her beaded handbag. "It's too bad you're going to have to go back empty-handed." She pouted at Sydney and then laughed.

"You won this round, Anna. That's all it is." Sydney scoffed. "There will be other days when you won't be so lucky."

"Well, it's thanks to him that you will have other days." Anna gestured at Vaughn. Her expression became one of regret. "It is a pity. He is so attractive and attentive and we had such a good time together." She reached up to caress his cheek with her finger. Sydney felt her fist clenching into a ball.

All of a sudden, Anna swooped down and kissed Vaughn hard on the lips. Sydney grew even more incensed at the liberties being taken while Vaughn was unable to resist, but consoled herself that at least he wouldn't be able to remember it.

"Ta-ta, Sydney." Anna waved her fingers at her, a triumphant look on her face. "I expect you'll be found sometime tomorrow morning and by that time, I will be out of the country." Anna closed the vault door behind her with a whoosh and a flourish.

Anna had turned out the overhead lights, but the room remained dimly lit by the desk lamp Anna had left on in her search for the twine. Sydney glanced at Vaughn, whose head had lolled onto his chest. _God, shouldn't he have woken up by now_? Sydney asked herself, trying not to panic. She hoped he didn't have a concussion.

Vaughn was just a smidgen too far away from her to nudge him with her foot, not that she could have, anyway, since Anna had tied her legs to the chair. She had to settle for calling his name in order to wake him up.

"Vaughn!" She called to him in a loud whisper. "Vaughn, please wake up!"

She kept on saying his name, willing him to awaken just so that she could get rid of the large lump of anxiety that had settled in her throat. After several minutes, she heard a moan and a groan. "Vaughn?" She said his name hopefully.

He opened one eye very carefully. "Syd?" He said her name rather shakily.

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God." She murmured. "How do you feel?" She asked solicitously.

"Like I had my head bashed in with a hockey stick." He winced in pain. "Who hit me?"

She gave him a sheepish grin. "I'm sorry. Anna made me do it." She confessed.

"Anna was here?" Vaughn tried not to move his head, hopeful that the room would stop spinning. "Damn it, why do I feel as if I'm on one of those Tilt-a-Whirl rides at the county fair?" He said snappishly.

"Oh, Vaughn, I didn't mean to hit you so hard." Sydney was beside herself.

He gave her a heavy-lidded look, signifying his doubt. "Yeah, right, after the way you laid into me while we were dancing, I'm sure you're really broken up about it." He wanted to rub his head as if that would make the pain go away, but he was struggling with his bound hands.

"You know I would never do anything to hurt you!" She cried out indignantly. "Not willingly, anyway." She added as an afterthought.

"Uh-huh." Vaughn sounded unconvinced.

"Vaughn, are you questioning my sincerity?" Sydney became a little miffed and suddenly all the sore feelings between them came rushing back to the surface.

"Maybe I'm just a tad skeptical that you didn't feel even a little bit of enjoyment out of smashing my skull." He quipped at her. "Like maybe you got a little extra jolt out of causing me some pain?"

Sydney gave him a steely glare. "Well, honestly, if you think I would deliberately hurt you, you don't know me at all!" She flared at him and refused to look him in the eye.

Vaughn's jaw softened as he gazed at the defiantly beautiful woman sitting in front of him. He had only meant to tease her, but she was obviously taking it personally.

"Syd, can we go back a few minutes, please?" He said cajolingly. "To when you were still feeling badly for knocking me out?"

"Those feelings are long gone by now." She said haughtily.

Vaughn's lips twitched in amusement. "Sydney, I'm sorry." He gave in first because he knew her well enough to know that she wouldn't. "I only meant to razz you a little bit, not make you madder at me."

"Hmph." She sniffed disdainfully.

"Syd, whining and pouting does not become you, so cut it out." Vaughn admonished her, but in a gentle fashion. "Come on, while we're on the subject, we may as well talk about it."

"Talk about what?" She uttered through clenched teeth.

"Can we talk about why you were so upset that I kept what I was doing a secret from you?"

Sydney suddenly looked fidgety. "Do you think that's a good idea?"

"Well, since it doesn't look as if we're going to get out of here anytime soon, what else would you suggest?" He inquired.

"My father will look for me sooner or later." Her brown eyes, normally so warm and expressive, were glacial. "Unlike some people I know, I can count on him."

_Ouch_. "Sydney, you know you can still count on me." Vaughn protested. "Nothing has changed."

"I don't know about that." She looked wounded. 

"Sydney, you're pouting again." He scolded her.

She made a face at him. "Vaughn, you know how I am about secrets. My life is one gigantic pile of them, layer upon layer upon layer, and I hate that." Sydney sounded tired all of a sudden and it touched him. "I hate that no one knows who I really am because of all the secrets I have to keep." She said softly.

"Except for you, Vaughn." Sydney caught his gaze and held it. "You know me as completely and as honestly as anyone ever has. I don't have any secrets with you and maybe it's too much for me to expect, but I kind of thought I shared that same reciprocity with you."

Vaughn let the magnitude of her words wash over him. "Are you telling me you _want _to know my secrets?" He asked incredulously.

She smiled. "That would make me very happy."

He returned her smile with a shy one of his own. "Okay, then, ask me whatever you want and I'll tell you the truth."

Sydney looked satisfied with his response. "Why didn't you tell me about what you were doing?" 

"I was ordered by Devlin not to tell you." Vaughn replied. "You weren't involved in the operation at that point and he didn't want any extraneous people in the know about my undercover op." 

"Oh, is that what I am?" Sydney's manner was exaggerated. "'Extraneous people'?"

"I didn't say I felt that way." He said mildly. "That was Devlin's viewpoint."

"And you _always _do whatever Devlin tells you, right?" Sydney gave him a pointed look, knowing full well it was a lame excuse.

Vaughn flushed. "In this case, I had to, Sydney. Anna could not know that you and I work together."

"I'm quite well-versed in Double Agent etiquette, Vaughn." She said with a superior air.

"They thought you might try to interfere." He added meekly.

"Oh, really?" Her eyes suddenly blazed and he had never seen her look more attractive. 

"Sydney," Vaughn tried to soothe her ruffled feathers. "You said it yourself that I'm inexperienced when it comes to field work and Anna Espinosa is the best agent K-Directorate has."

"What did they think I would do?" She said exasperatedly. "Ride in on a white charger to save you if you got into trouble?"

"You said you didn't want to have to worry about me getting hurt." He reminded her with a touch of bitterness in his voice.

Sydney looked contrite. "I never should have said that to you. I didn't mean it, but I was just--" She stopped suddenly, unsure if she wanted to continue. "--scared." She finished softly.

"Scared I would get myself killed?" He quipped.

"That's not something to joke about." She admonished him. "But, yes, part of the reason I mouthed off to you was because I know what Anna's capable of and I didn't want you to fall victim to her."

"Well, to tell you the truth, she was actually rather tame." He confessed. "I don't think she ever suspected me of being anything but a man who was interested in her."

"And that was just an act, right?" Sydney realized she was holding her breath as she asked that question.

"Of course." Vaughn was quick to reply and she wondered if he was _too_ quick, as if he didn't want to dwell on the subject. Unfortunately for him, she still had one other matter to clear up in regard to Anna.

"So you didn't have to sleep with her in order to get what you wanted?" She asked bluntly. 

Vaughn shot her a surprised look. "Syd, do you know how incredibly sexist that sounds?" He chastised her. "You'd bite my head off if I asked you the same question."  
  


"Well, we both know that I don't need to sleep with someone in order to obtain information." Sydney was being a tad pompous and he called her on it.

"Unlike myself, apparently." He replied drolly. "Don't you think I have any moral standards whatsoever?"

"Of course you do." Sydney felt herself flush. "I'm sorry for even bringing it up." She mumbled uncomfortably.

"But apparently, you did for a reason." Vaughn prodded her. 

Sydney dropped her eyes away from his face. "I didn't like thinking about you…being with her." She said awkwardly.

Vaughn's face softened. "Sydney, even if I'd been tempted, I wouldn't have." He said soberly. _I wouldn't have done that to you_.

She looked up and found him watching her. "I think I always knew that, but I let my imagination run wild." She responded in a soft voice and she realized she truly did believe him. She believed she knew him well enough by now to trust that he wouldn't do anything to hurt her.

"You know, when I got the Joey's Pizza call and I went to the warehouse to find Weiss there in your place, I thought you had asked to be removed as my handler." Sydney confessed in a quiet voice. "I thought you were mad at me because I doubted your abilities as an agent."

"Well, I do wish you had had a little more confidence in me."

"I do!" She said quickly. "You've always been incredible whenever I've asked you to do something and I should have had more faith." Sydney looked properly remorseful.

Vaughn was grateful for her admission. "Sydney, I was never mad at you." He admitted candidly. "It just seemed easier to let you be mad at me so that you wouldn't poke your nose into what I was doing."

She nodded understandingly. "So then you are still my handler?"

"Of course."

"Good." Sydney felt a great relief wash over her. "Forgive the double negative, but I don't like not having you in my life."

Vaughn tried in vain not to show how pleased he was by her statement. "Well, in the spirit of double negativity, let me say I was never not in your life." He declared in a grand gesture.

She gave him a grin. "I know, but for a few days, I thought you weren't and it made me crazy." She looked at him shyly. "You have become an important person in my life and when you're not around, I notice it."

"Likewise." He acknowledged. The look that passed between them was heavy with all of those unspoken declarations that they knew they could not say to each other. Vaughn wanted to profess his love for her. Sydney wanted to let him know that the feelings he felt for her were returned with equal intensity. Unfortunately, they both knew this wasn't the right time. Confessions of the heart should be made when the moon was full and the stars were aligned and they didn't have the threat of certain death hanging over their heads. Only time would tell whether they would ever get the chance to make their feelings known to one another.

Vaughn was the first to look away. "You know, Devlin is going to have a fit when he finds out we blew it." He commented, his voice surprisingly unshaky.

"What do you mean?" Sydney slowly let out the breath she had been holding.

He looked at her pointedly. "Sydney, Anna got away with the brooch. K-Directorate is going to gain the edge over us."

A small smile broke out on her face. "No, they're not."

Vaughn gave her a strange look. Was she in denial or something? "Do you know something I don't?" He quizzed her.

"Well, while you were playing the part of Prince Charming so convincingly, my father alerted me to the fact that the piece we were after wasn't being displayed tonight, so I broke into the vault earlier and replaced the real brooch with the fake one Marshall gave me." Sydney looked like the cat who had swallowed the canary.

He shot her a delighted grin and then quickly sobered. "Then I'm the one who messed everything up, aren't I?" Vaughn sounded weary and a little sad. "I guess you were right in being skeptical of my abilities."

Her heart ached when she saw how dejected he looked. "No, Vaughn, how can you say that?" Sydney protested.

"Well, if I hadn't gone after Anna, we wouldn't be here right now." He pointed out.

"Maybe." She said tentatively. "But don't forget, you went after her because you were looking out for me."

Vaughn gave her a shrewd look. "And you went after her because you were looking out for me."

She gave him a little smile. "We watch each other's backs. That's why we work well together."

Vaughn looked thoughtful for a moment and then let out a chuckle. "I guess we do at that."

Sydney grinned, happy that he appeared to be in good humor once more. "Now then, I think if you work at those knots for a little bit, you'll find out that I didn't tie them as tightly as I should have." She had a sly look on her face.

He gave her a surprised look. "And you waited until _now_ to tell me this?" He started struggling against the ties binding his arms to the chair.

"Well, we needed this time together, wouldn't you say?" Sydney gave him a wide-eyed innocent look. "We needed to get reacquainted with each other."

"You're acting as if we haven't seen each other in five years, instead of just five days." Vaughn remarked.

"It felt like five years, Vaughn." Sydney said softly. She found herself desperately wishing she could confess all the bottled-up feelings inside her that had risen to the surface when she had thought he was pulling away from her. She wanted him to know how much she cared about him, but something held her back. With a deep regret, she knew it would somehow cheapen what they felt for each other if they couldn't give of themselves to the fullest.

Vaughn's eyes softened. "Yeah, for me, too, Syd." At that moment, he felt his resolve weakening and he wanted to push the envelope further just to see how far he could take this. But then he realized that it would be unfair to the both of them. It was nonsense to begin something they didn't have any hope of finishing. At least, for the time being.

Confessing your love for someone was supposed to change your life. If your feelings weren't returned, your life pretty much went into the toilet, at least for a few weeks, anyway (Vaughn wasn't the type of man to let his romantic entanglements drag him down for very long). However, if your beloved were to express that she loved you back, then your life is suddenly glorious and vibrant and magical and you hope that it lasts that way forever.

Vaughn knew that if he told Sydney he was in love with her, the change in his life wouldn't fall anywhere near either of those spectrums. If she said, "Thanks, but no thanks.", he could kiss his working relationship with her goodbye and his personal relationship with her right along with it. It would be too unbearably awkward to continue to see her, to have her know how he felt about her. He would get reassigned, most likely never see her again and probably die a bitter, lonely old man. 

On the other hand, if she, by some miracle, returned his feelings, he would experience a brief moment of true happiness and then it would hit him that their lives would become even more complicated than were already were. Illicit rendezvous in out-of-the-way locales were fun and exciting in the beginning, but the stress of lying and hiding and not being able to shout from the rooftops that Sydney Bristow loved him would inevitably shatter them apart and once again, he would probably die a bitter, lonely old man.

No, they had to do this the right away, by the book. Vaughn found that sort of ironic, considering how Sydney was never one to follow the rules if they didn't suit her, frequently coercing him to do the same. If she told him she loved him and damn the consequences, he knew it ultimately wouldn't last and that wasn't what he wanted from her.

So the best course of action was to maintain the status quo. They could dance around it, let it tease and excite them, but they couldn't acknowledge it. Not yet. Not until they were free.

Eventually, Vaughn was able to loosen his restraints enough for him to move his arms. Once his hands were free, he was able to untie his legs and then he freed Sydney. She told him to retrieve his gun from underneath the bookshelf while she punched in the security code to the vault on the keypad next to the door.

"Lucky the museum has a failsafe system in case someone gets locked in here." Vaughn commented.

"Yeah, the last thing we need is to be caught in here." Sydney tried the handle to the door and it opened immediately. "We'd be toast for sure." 

"So what do we do now?" She asked, once they were outside of the vault and on the other side of the security door.

"You're asking me?" He gave her a helpless look that was just for show. "You're the expert, Spy Girl."

She made a face at him. "What time is it?" She didn't bother to wait for his reply and grabbed his wrist. "It's almost midnight. Maybe we can sneak out with the remaining stragglers from the reception."

"So now all we have to do is get back up to the reception unnoticed." Vaughn's mouth quirked.

"Hey, we got down here okay, didn't we? We should be able to blend right back in with the crowd."

The couple started for the stairs. "Did you see any guards on your way down here?" Vaughn asked Sydney.  
  


"Just one little old man, whistling Glenn Miller tunes." Sydney shrugged. "He was harmless."

"Well, I ran into a big, beefy guy who's not." He said as they took the stairs as quickly as possible. "We'll have to try to avoid him."

Vaughn and Sydney were able to find their way from the basement back to the second floor of the museum, where the reception was taking place. As they crept up the second-floor stairwell, they knew they were almost home-free.

Then Vaughn heard the approaching footsteps. He stopped in his tracks and listened intently. He could tell that the person was trying to be as quiet as possible, but that was impossible to do on hardwood floors.

Vaughn laid flat against the wall and Sydney, following blindly, almost went past him around the corner. He grabbed her by the waist just in time to hold her back.

_What is it_? She mouthed silently.

Vaughn raised his arm in front of his chest and stuck his thumb up, motioning over his shoulder.

Sydney picked up on the sound of the footsteps almost immediately. If they were caught roaming the restricted areas of the museum, it was certain to raise questions. They would be detained, confidential information might come to light. It was simply not an option.

The footsteps were coming closer. Whoever it was could be just around the corner. Sydney reacted without a second thought and suddenly slipped her hand behind Vaughn's neck, pulling his head down to hers so that she could engage him in a passionate kiss.

Vaughn was so stunned by what was happening that he let out a brief cry of surprise (a purely involuntary reaction, I assure you), which got lost as Sydney's mouth covered his. She was pressing her body against him, her fingers riffling through his hair and he was responding in kind, his hands roaming across the soft skin of her bare back and maybe even a bit lower once or twice. In those few fleeting dazed moments, he didn't wonder why she was kissing him so hungrily as if she couldn't get enough of him. All he could think of was giving in to the pleasure.

From the instant their lips touched, Sydney knew without a doubt that this was the moment she had been planning for, even if it had only been in her subconscious mind. This was the reason for the eye-popping red dress, the tantalizing perfume, the subtle beginnings of a flirtation (even if it had been borne through supposed drunkenness, she had, after all, been completely sober). As she felt Vaughn's hands exploring her body with skilled expertise, she gave a soft moan as his lips trailed down her neck. A burning desire arose within her and she gave in to it, murmuring his given name for the first time as his mouth covered hers once more. 

There was a throat-clearing behind them. "Sydney!" A voice hissed disapprovingly. They both knew that voice. Their eyes flew open at the same time while they were still lip-locked and then Sydney (reluctantly?) pulled away from him.

"Dad!" Sydney squeaked out, looking guilty. Vaughn grimaced and then slowly turned around. Jack was glaring at him as he expected, but it wasn't the glare he thought it would be. Jack Bristow could communicate volumes with his facial expressions and this one wasn't the _You-Incompetent-Idiot!-You-Almost-Screwed-Up-The-Mission_! glower. This was a _Why-The-Hell-Are-You-Touching-My-Daughter_? scowl. Jack's reaction was not unlike the kind a father would give to a boy making out with his teenaged daughter in the backseat of his car and that unnerved Vaughn tremendously.

"Jack," Vaughn acknowledged tentatively. He was rewarded with another withering glance.

"Dad, we thought you were a security guard." Sydney explained hastily. "We didn't want to get caught sneaking around the museum."

"So you thought it would be better to get caught--" Jack stopped in mid-sentence as if even uttering the words was distasteful to him. "--_making out_ in the museum instead?" He clearly believed Sydney was feeding him a line and she blushed. Okay, so maybe she had taken advantage of the situation (and what a lovely advantage it had been!), but it would have made a good cover story.

Or at least, that's what she told herself. The fact that she and Vaughn had been able to share their first kiss was just a delicious added bonus.

"Sydney just reacted on the spur of the moment, Jack." Vaughn tried to deflect some of Jack's pique away from Sydney. Unfortunately, it worked and he was now bearing the brunt of Jack's ire. "It wasn't planned." He added lamely.

"I have no doubt you believe that, Agent Vaughn, but I know better." Vaughn gave him a look of consternation. Was he actually saying that Sydney instigated that kiss out of want and not necessity?

"Dad!" Sydney said sharply, embarrassed by her father's innuendo. Vaughn say the high color in her cheeks and he could swear she was blushing. In that brief instant, he knew. 

Jack was leading her by the elbow away from him. "Sydney?" Vaughn grabbed her hand and she slipped from Jack's grasp. She turned to face him, gazing at him as he wished she always would.

"I get it." He said softly, the message in his eyes telling her loud and clear that her secret had been found out. But it was safe. With him.

Sydney's eyes widened slightly as she realized he knew. Then she smiled. "So do I." She murmured, squeezing his hand. It was the best she could do under her father's hawklike scrutiny.

But it was enough for Vaughn. It would be enough to keep him going.

THE END

**Author's Note**: And that's a wrap!  What can I say except I hope everyone who read my story enjoyed it and found it entertaining.  In a little over a month from now, we're going to head into a second season of _Alias_ and I really hope we get a lot more Sydney/Vaughn flirtation this year.  But in the meantime, I continue to write fan fiction, which I hope will tide me over until J.J. decrees that our favorite couple can finally get together!

Anyway, thanks to everyone who read and reviewed.  It really does inspire me to try to do my best when I know other people are going to critique what I wrote.  I'm in the midst of writing another fic right now and just to let you know, it is a Post-ATY story, which I didn't think I would ever do since so many came out after the season finale.  But I got hit with an idea and decided to run with it, so I hope you'll check it out when the first chapter is ready.

Thanks again,

Rhonda


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